The NCB-009
by unpublisheddreamer
Summary: Clary was abducted and raised by her abusive father at age 4. He has money and power, with an entire army of spies to keep her in check. When SD-13, a secret government black ops group, learns of his newest location, they are forced to flee New York. Now in Newport, Oregon, Clary has to start all over again. Maybe for good this time? [Clace/Sizzy/Malec.I suck at summaries, R&R!]
1. Chapter 1

**Hi hi hii! This is my very first fanfiction story please don't judge me too harshly if I make noobish mistakes xD also, English is not my first language so bare with me! I do love feedback though so leave reviews pleease! **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own TMI *cries* that lovely masterpiece belongs to the lovely miss Cassandra Clare! **

**Beginning details: When Clary was born she was immediately placed under the protection of SD-13, a secret black ops division of the United States government. They classified her as a NCB-009. No one really knows what it means except that its highly classified information. When she was four, Valentine kidnapped her and raised her on his compound. Valentine was an extremely abusive father and although on the outside she made have seemed like a princess, once she passed through those gold and silver wrought-iron gates, Clary was a prisoner. When SD-13 receives new intel on Valentine's whereabouts, the dysfunctional family is forced on the road again. His vast wealth and power make slipping through the agency's fingers easy and soon they are arriving in Newport, Oregon. Here, Clary is forced to start a whole new life at a new school, once again. It's nothing new, the whole new identities, different cities, new schools, and extreme makeovers, but maybe this time, just maybe, it'll be her last. **

**WARNING: the following contains adult content such as rape and abuse. It is not intended for younger audiences, please be advised before reading. **

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"Clarissa! You think you can hide from me?! I will find you!"

Valentine's booming voice echoed off the walls of the lavishly decorated mansion. Clary's hands were shaking uncontrollably as she crouched down in the back of her closet. Tears were already streaming down her porcelain cheeks, and he hadn't even found her yet. Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed that he would calm down and forget about her.

But he wouldn't.

Seconds later and the door standing between her and uncertain death, was wrenched off its hinges and cast to the side of the room. Everything stopped: her heart, her breath, time, the world. She completely froze. Maybe if I don't move-

"There you are" he sneered, grabbing her tiny frail body roughly by the waist and dragging her out of the closet.

"No! Stop it! Please!" she cried, snapping out of her trance and back into survival mode. Her fingernails dug into the hard-wood flooring, leaving long uneven scratches all over the floor of her newly polished room. "I promise, I didn't say anything, I didn't…I wouldn't s-say anything please! Believe me! I would never lie to you! PAPA PLEASE" Clary's high soprano voice screeched frantically.

She regretted it the moment it left her lips.

Papa.

"You do not EVER call me that!" he spat, bringing his hand hard across her cheek. "And furthermore" he continued, shaking her roughly and pulling her close to his chest "You! Don't Tell ME! What to do!" his voice was powerful and venomous, sending shivers all along her spine.

"Bu-" the word's hadn't even left her lips before she was reduced to a blur of crimson curls flying across the room. Searing pain shot through her head as the edge of an ornately decorated gold chest connected with the back of her head. Clary's body slumped to the side, her hands slowly inching their way up to where the chest had no doubt split open her head. She winced slightly as her long slender fingers brushed lightly over the wound.

Blood poured generously from the gash, soaking through her thin pastel blouse within seconds. "Get up you little bitch! I'm tired of hearing you complain. Come on, Get!" he yelled, kicking her side. She flipped over on to her stomach, struggling to push her weight off the ground. "I said GET UP!" he screamed, grabbing a handful of her crimson curls and pulling her to her feet. A silent scream escaped her lips as she stumbled a bit, trying to regain her balance before leaning against the bed post. "I received a report today that the CIA is coming. APPARENTLY someone contacted them from THIS location" he snapped, slapping her hard across the face. The blow knocked her to her knees and she knew that it would take everything she had to get up again. He wasted no time, pulling her up with the same tactics and punching her right in the stomach. This time, instead of falling to the ground like her body willed, Valentine held her upright and continued to beat her, over and over "You will NOT disobey me…EVER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I've given you EVERYTHING a girl could ever want and still! You choose to defy me?!" Clary's head bobbed up and down lazily, trying hard to focus as the spots began to cloud her vision. "Y-yes papa" she mumbled as blood dribbled from the corner of her mouth.

Her words tempered his rage, causing him to cease the seemingly endless beating. Clary was sure to have bruises lining the entirety of her body the next morning. She breathed a sigh of relief, slumping against the wall as his grip on her loosened. "Lay down" he breathed in a low intimidating voice, pointing to the plush four-poster bed that sat in the center of the room. His loud and thunderous attitude was terrifying, but when Valentine was quiet was when he got dangerous. Her face paled, loosing almost all of her motor functions as she willed her legs to slump towards the bed. Halfway between her and the mattress and Valentine got impatient, picking her frail body up and throwing it over his shoulder. As he laid her down, he waisted no time. Starting with her ruined blouse, then moving on to her bra. She kicked as he peeled off her jeans but Clary was in no shape to fight him off. Her resistance lasted all of 4 seconds until he had her restrained.

Before her brain could even register what was happening, Clary was screaming. Loud, deafening, anguished cries. Pain. Pain was all she could feel, all she could think of. It wasn't the first time Valentine had violated her, but never like this. Penetration was the one thing even he had not done. Her fingernails dug into his back as he pumped in and out of her roughly. It felt like he was ripping her apart from the inside out. And all she could do was obey and wait for it to be over.

— Time Lapse —

"Oh Clarissa my dear, you never cease to disappoint" Valentine cooed in a soft voice, caressing the side of her face adoringly. That was the thing about Valentine, he could switch in an instant. One moment he was a raging psychopath, and the next he was the most loving and devoted father. "Be sure to shower and pack your things. Oh! But leave the heavy stuff. We don't need any more weight slowing us down." he smiled, rolling over to the opposite side of the bed and fetching his clothes.

"We leave in an hour. Don't make me call for you Clarissa." the edge in his voice returning. With that, he crossed the room quickly and shut the door, leaving a frail and detached Clary panting into the silky sheets now soaked in sweat.

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**Alriighty, so I know it was kinda short (I promise in the future they will be longer) and it was basically just an abuse scene, but I needed to give the introduction to this portion of her life before getting to all the fun stuff. :) I also realized that I bounced around from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person, in the future (next chapter) it will all be in 1st person-Clary's POV.**

** PLEASE R&amp;R! I need some serious feedback and ideas for what you want to read ****and whatnot. Thank you **

**-The Unpublished Dreamer**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hellloo everyone, thank you so much for the reviews and PMs! I honestly wasn't expecting any until the 2nd or 3rd chapters so thank you very very much! I greatly appreciate your input! Please let me know what you think about this next chapter. What you liked, disliked, wish to see more of..etc **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMI, all credit goes to the brilliant Cassandra Clare. **

**Without further ado, I give you, Chapter 2 :)**

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It had been nearly two weeks since Valentine and his men had left the lively streets of Manhattan. The trip to Newport should have taken 4 days, a week at most, but Valentine was a paranoid son of a bitch and demanded to stop every few hundred miles to rest and regroup as well as check all the surrounding street camera's for signs of SD-13. For most of the trip, Clary had been sandwiched in-between Ivan and Markus, two of her father's most trusted men; however, once they reached Oregon, Valentine had dispatched them both to drive ahead and check for any signs of SD-13, leaving the entire backseat to Clary's leisure.

Currently, the fiery young girl was stretched across all three seats of the black sedan, gazing out the side window as the heavily wooded forest area flashed by. Music blasted from both headphones, drowning out her reality. For awhile she sang along quietly but resorted to just bobbing her head back and forth once she noticed the sound bothered Valentine. Turning her attention back out the window, her hands itched to be holding a pencil or even just a crayon to capture the fascinating scenery**. **She could already see the image clearly in her mind.

All too soon she felt the car begin pulling to a stop and she knew that they were nearly to the Newport Estate. She lifted her head, sitting up in the seat and gazing out at what was to be her new home. It was one of the more modest properties Valentine had opted for. He knew they needed to stay under the radar so buying another mansion was out of the question. However, this house was by no means stood a full four stories in height with dark cherry wood covering most of the surface. Large bay windows took up huge gaps of space, giving Valentine a good view of the street and neighboring houses.

But other than the architectural layout, Clary had noticed the extra security measures her father had spared no expense on. Camera's covered every inch of the perimeter. Sniper rifles as well as a watch tower with 24/7 guards were positioned the roof. Thankfully, Valentine had been smart enough to know how to disguise these drastic measures from the public, but Clary noticed. She had seen enough houses of his to pick out the subtle oddities.

As they pulled to a stop at the front door, two men in black combat gear jogged out to the car, opening the backseat and passenger side doors. "Welcome home Sir, it is an honor to finally make your acquaintance. We hope you find these accommodations up to your standards" The taller one said. He looked to be about 20, probably a new recruit. She shook her head slightly at how messed up his world was about to get. '_Good_ _luck dimwit' _Clary thought silently to herself.

Valentine nodded to the man as he stepped out of the sedan, looking back to where Clary had emerged as well. "Come along Clarissa, I'm sure Leveanna is already here and waiting for you" he said curtly, motioning for her to follow him. Clary's ears perked up hearing that Leveanna would be here. The woman was a badass makeup artist and stylist. She was also one of the only woman Clary had interacted with in all her years with Valentine. "Go upstairs. Leveanna will be waiting in your room. I'm sure I can trust you to find it on your own?" Valentine continued as they entered in to the foyer. Clary nodded quickly before running up the long balustrades and down the hallway. "DON'T RUN IN THE HOUSE YOUNG LADY!" Her fathers voice echoed off the hallways as she neared the 3rd floor.

"Clary! Oh you poor child what on earth is it you have in those marvelous curls of yours? Why are they black!?" Leveanna shrieked, her thick british accent coming out more heavily as she ran over to where Clary had just walked into the room. Clary smiled to herself at the eccentric woman. Every time she saw Leveanna she was wearing a wildly different yet bizarrely similar ensemble. Today she sported an 80s look with electric blue parachute pants, a yellow leopard print tank top overlaid by a coral three-quarter length sleeved blazer, a pair of blue star-shaped dangle earrings, three black and yellow bangles, and finally, coral pumps. It was almost blinding.

"Valentine made me dye it temporarily while we were on the road so the satellite camera's didn't get an images of us." she sighed, plopping down on the nearest chair. It was so soft and plush, she almost drifted off to sleep right there. "Just get me back to normal please!" the girl sighed, dramatically draping a slender arm over her face. Leveanna nodded, needing no further permission to get started. She immediately gathered the tangled mass of frizzy curls and began working them out.

**— Time Lapse— **

Four hours of hair brushing, washing, blow drying, styling, and spraying later and Leveanna had successfully transformed Clary's greasy, cheaply-dyed, frizz ball matt into sleek and smooth crimson locks. She stood back to admire her handiwork, tapping a long freshly manicured, pink fingernail against the cream-colored vanity. "I must admit, I wasn't sure how it would turn out but I guess I'm just that good" the woman marveled excitedly.

Turning around to look in the mirror, Clary smiled wide. Her large emerald eyes popped against the natural deep red tint of her hair. "As always Leveanna, you are the best!" she laughed jumping up to hug her.

"Anytime da'ling! Now, I must be on my way but I did restock your closet with some new things!" she winked "Your father really let me loose with that black card of his, oh! And don't forget to use that serum I gave you for your hair EVERY NIGHT okay?! It'll keep the frizzes at bay. OH! And don't forget what I always tell you: NO WEARING TWO DIFFERENT ANIMAL PRINTS AT ONCE! Okay baby girl, love you, good luck at your new school tomorrow, toodles!" Clary laughed at the whirlwind that was the infamous Leveanna DeMarquis. She talked a mile a minute but was the closest thing Clary ever had to a mother figure.

"Bye Leveanna" Clary whispered as the woman rushed out and slammed the door. Turning back to her room, Clary inspected the furnishings that Valentine had ordered. They much resembled her room back in New York with a few exceptions here and there. She had a large bathroom as well as a walk in closet that could have been a second bedroom if they needed it. A queen size cream four-poster bed sat against the wall in the center of the room with sheer swaths of violet material running down the sides. At the end of the bed a large cream chest with gold plating sat with all of her favorite art utensils. In the corner of the room a vanity and mirror set had been assembled so she could do her makeup…or cover up unwanted marks. By the door there was a small table with a flower arrangement of purple tulips, a landline phone, and a candle. Simple, but elegant. Just the way she liked it.

Clary had been rummaging through her closet when Valentine barged in, "Clarissa!" he said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yes Valentine?" she said popping her head out from behind the closet door.

"I'm sending Ivan and Markus with you to go grocery shopping. Get enough food for yourself and the men." he said placing his card and a list of items on the table. "And don't just get junk food, understand?" she nodded whilst slipping on a pair of navy blue flats. "Alright. Be home before dark." with that, her father turned and walked out the door. Almost a second later, two knocks sounded outside her door "Miss Morgenstern,we are waiting outside whenever you are ready." came Ivan's deep tenor voice. "Just a minute! And it's Fray now, remember?" she called, grabbing her jacket and purse before rushing out the door.

The car ride to Safeway Supermarket was barely a few minutes, she could have walked there if she wanted. "Do you really have to flank me on either side like I'm a prisoner?" she asked as the suited protectors jumped out of the car and walked next to her side by side.

"Sorry Miss, Valentine's orders" Markus apologized as they walked through the automatic sliding doors. Clary shrugged her shoulders, scowling a bit before reaching in her pocket and grabbing the list her father had given to them. "Alright first things first, coffee" she said turning down one of the isles.

**— Time Lapse—**

Forty-Five minutes later and they had filled an entire cart to the brim almost. You'd think she was stocking up for the apocalypse by the amount of food they were buying. Ivan had gone off to pick out some alcohol from the other side of the store, leaving Clary with Markus who walked lazily behind her a few feet. "Okay looks like all we have left is peanut butter and that cookie butter spread you all- oof!" she exclaimed as her body collided with something solid…solid and warm? She looked up, making eye contact with the most beautiful human she had ever laid eyes on. He was tall, taller even than Ivan, and he had perfectly tousled blonde curls along with golden eyes. his body was perfectly sculpted with rock solid muscles. She stood motionless with her mouth slightly agape.

"Careful there Red, you might hurt someone" the boy smirked, bending down to pick up the list she had dropped.

"Oh, um..yeah sorry about that" she stuttered, snapping out of the trance and back to reality. Now flustered, Clary jumped back a few feet.

"Are you feeding an army or something?" the boy joked, motioning towards the overflowing cart.

"Umm.. yeah something like that" she laughed awkwardly, fiddling with bracelet on her wrist. "Look, I'm so sorry about-"

"Throwing yourself at me? Nah don't worry about it babe, happens all the time" he winked

Clary wrinkled her nose, she definitely did not like this guy. Any sort of attraction she held for the boy ended when he opened his egotistical mouth. "No, you prick. Actually I was going to say running into you but, whatever" she rolled her eyes, annoyed. He chuckled at her response, shrugging his shoulders as to mean 'whatever you say'

It looked like he was about to say something but then Ivan returned with his arms full of wine and other assorted alcohols. "Markus, did you get the last few things?" he snapped, placing the bottles of wine and alcohol into the cart. "Oh, um yeah we're good" Markus replied, oblivious to the interaction that had been taking place between Clary and the stranger. The boy looked at Clary then to the men in suits in confusion. What the fuck was this girl doing with these two?

"Miss Fray if you are done, we should be heading back to the estate. Your father will be looking for you" Ivan stated, motioning for her to follow them. Clary nodded her head, following the men before stealing one last glance at the golden boy. He was still staring, probably wondering who in the hell she was.

"Um..bye I guess.." she said quickly. "Until next time" the boy replied, flashing her a cocky grin. Next time? He didn't actually expect to see her again did he? She nodded slowly, before turning around and heading towards the cashiers stand.

"Miss Fray, must I remind you the importance of not speaking to strangers?" Ivan remarked matter-of-factly. Clary hated when he got all up in her face when she slipped up. "I'm sorry, I guess next time I railroad someone on accident I will just shove past them without a word. Would you like that Ivan? Hm?" she spat annoyed.

Once they paid for their stuff, the trio walked out to the car. Markus opened the backseat door, helping her hop into the car before going around to help Ivan load the trunk. Clary buckled her seatbelt and leaned against the window, waiting for them to finish and go home. As she watch two water droplets racing down the window her attention shifted to the front door where golden boy himself emerged with his own set of bags. He walked up to a grey BMW and threw the bags in the trunk. Jumping out of the passenger seat was a girl around Clary's age. She had long black hair and the most striking features Clary had ever seen. She was gorgeous. Clary watched as the girl yelled some obscenities at him before jumping on his back playfully. He chuckled, swinging her around and throwing her in the passenger seat. "Get in there you deranged psychopath" she heard him yell jokingly. They were obviously of some close relation. Watching the two interact brought up the feelings of longing for a normal life, a normal childhood. To have siblings. Before she knew it a tear had escaped and spilled over her eyelids. "Miss Fray are you alright?" Ivan's voice filled the car. When had they gotten in?

"Yes.." she replied, swiftly wiping the tear from her cheek. "Just had something in my eye" she sniffed, turning her head back towards the window.

"..Alright, your father called. He wants us to stop and pick up some school supplies before heading back to the house." Clary nodded her head silently, not trusting her voice at the moment. As they peeled out of the parking lot, she stole one last glance at the boy when they passed by. She could have sworn he was looking right at her.

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**Yaayyy she met Jace..sorta. :P R&amp;R and tell me what you thought about their little introduction? I'll update as soon as I can :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back with chapter 3! I'm so sorry for the long wait! I made it extra long this time to make up for it! Even added a little bit of Clace smut. ;) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMI, all credit goes to Cassandra Clare. The following is just an adaption of her original characters. **

**R&amp;R R&amp;R R&amp;R R&amp;R pleeeease read AND review! I love hearing form you guys! :D**

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_Clarissa! CLARISSA! Get over here you ungrateful bitch!" Valentine's voice fills my head. I'm stumbling down a dark corridor. Come on Clary, you know how to do this, just put one foot in front of the other. I can see the light of my bedroom but every time I come close to reaching it, the light seems to move further and further away. Come back…_

"_Why are you running away from me Clarissa?! I"M CALLING YOU" _

_He's right behind me, I can feel the floor boards shifting under his weight. Suddenly, he's upon me and I feel my body lurching backwards. A sharp stinging flares up across my cheek as his hand connects with my cheek. _

"_I specifically told you to pick up garbage bags on your trip to the grocery store! Were you not listening? Your mind was probably else where thinking about the next boy you plan to screw. Was that it? Hmm? Are you whoring around with someone on the compound? Hey! *Smack* Look to me when I'm speaking to you!" ! _

_I'm trying to respond to tell him, to tell him he never told me but my mouth can't seem to formulate sentences. 'Please stop' I think, staring up at him in frozen fear. My vision is fuzzy but I can see the outline of his face perfectly. _

"_Do you even hear what I'm saying? Do I need to have a doctor examine your hearing?" He bellows, slamming my head into the wall. "How about now?You hear me now!?" I'm struggling to spit out my sentence but for some reason I just can't reply. _

"_You never said anything about garbage bags" I finally manage through the haze. It only infuriates him further, I squeeze my eyes shut in fear as his fits comes crashing down against my ribcage repeatedly. _

-End of Flashback-

Clary awoke with a jolt, sitting straight up in her bed. _It's just a dream. Its just…a dream. _Glancing over at her alarm clock she noticed it was only 5:30 AM. She still had and hour and a half before the alarm would start blaring but she was too shook up from the nightmare to go back to sleep. Standing up and sliding her feet along the cool tile, she decided to take a nice long hot shower.

After a good 45 minute soak under the scalding water she was finally awake enough to face the rest of the day. Wrapping a towel around her body and another around her head, turban style, she stepped out into her bedroom and tip toed across the freezing tiles to her closet. Looking in the mirror she caught sight of herself in the long full length mirror at the center of the room. Black and blue marks trailed along her hips and up her back where a large ugly purple bruise covered most of her shoulder. _It wasn't just a dream_. Moving her dripping curls aside she noticed another mark tainting her porcelain skin just above her right eyebrow. It looked worse than it actually felt. Some makeup and concealer would be able to completely cover it.

Turning from the mirror she noticed for the first time all that Leveanna had purchased. It was as if she had bought the entire Neiman Marcus store and had it shipped to her closet. Waltzing over to the drawers she opened all of them, one by one, curiously skimming over the expensive fabrics. The selections were overwhelming and not long after, she found herself sitting in the center of the room on the floor with her head in her knees, panicking over what to wear for her first day. It was then that she noticed the note stuck on her accessories counter.

_Clary, _

_ Stop stressing over something to wear, I already have something hanging in your closet. ;) Go on and put it on, and don't you dare even think about switching the booties out for those wretched combat boots of yours! Walk confidently and your head held high with the knowledge that you look fabulous!_

_ xox -Leveanna_

She smiled to herself, Leveanna always did think of everything. Jumping up from the floor, she ran over to the clothes rack, examining the outfit. Her bright emerald eyes lit up as they blazed over the ensemble. It consisted of a black Armani leather mini skirt and a charcoal chunky knit pull over sweater with a cream button down underneath, paired with black tights and black and grey heeled booties. A necklace and black diamond earrings had been set aside on the counter as well. The fit lifted her mood considerably. Checking the time she noticed that there was only 30 minutes before she had to be leaving for school. Clary quickly applied a little bit of makeup, making sure to take extra time on the ugly bruise, then began on her hair. She shook her damp locks out of the towel, running a blow dryer through them before styling them into soft crimson curls with the curling iron. Unsurprisingly, the anti-frizz serum worked really well, taming her wild, unmanageable mane.

While clasping the charcoal chain necklace and fixing the crisp collar that popped out of her sweater, a knock sounded at her door followed by "Miss Fray the car is waiting"

"Just a minute!" she replied, slipping on the bracelets and grabbing her wool coat. Taking one last glance in the mirror she admired the first day look Leveanna had picked out for her. The woman had skill.

"Miss Fray we really must be on our way" Markus called out impatiently. Clary scowled, slipping her schoolbag over her shoulder before opening the door and heading out to the car.

The car ride over was fairly quiet with the exception of a few words exchanged between Markus and Landon. She had been pretty calm, fixing her lipstick and just watching as the trees flew by. It wasn't until they were just around the block from the school that she started feeling on edge. '_Maybe I should have slipped on my combat boots instead_' she thought nervously to herself as they pulled into the parking lot. It was barely 8:00 and already a large group of students were gathering out front.

_-Please go around back, please go around back, please go around back.- _

'_Dammit' _She smacked her palm against her forehead lightly as they parked right in the very front. Landon jumped out of the passenger seat, coming around to Clary's side and opening the door. "Thank you" she murmured as he helped her out. Walking across the quad she noticed that almost every single person had dropped what they were doing and turned their attention to the new girl being escorted into the building. -_Great, it's my first day and already I have the entire school's attention_\- she thought to herself. "Walk confidently with your head held high" Leveanna's encouragement swirled around in her head.

She had been doing fine, ignoring the stares and obvious whispers floating around as they passed by; however, a certain flash of blonde hair caught her attention. Turning her head, she noticed it was none other than Safeway golden boy himself. He was leaning against a large oak tree, with a bored, disinterested expression plastered across his face. Even like this, he was still every bit as mesmerizing. He was wearing a dark grey v-neck that stretched across his muscular torso and black skinny jeans that showed off his long toned legs. A few other kids hung around in a group carrying on their own conversations. To his left was the pretty girl from the parking lot. She was talking to another guy around her age with dark brown hair and glasses.

On his right, a girl with way too much makeup on and a dress that left absolutely nothing up to the imagination, was desperately trying to get his attention. "Jaceeyy! Are you even listening to me?!" she heard the girl whine. Clary wrinkled her face at the girls obnoxious tone. Ew are you kidding me? Turning her head, she focused on the double doors ahead of her, praying for the day to go by without too much of a struggle.

**Jace's POV**

Aline had been hanging on my shoulder all morning and usually it wouldn't bother me, but for some reason today it seemed even more annoying than usual. "Jaceyyy! Are you listening to me?!" Aline whined. I winced slightly as her screechy voice filled my ears.

"God, Aline, just get the fuck off me" I spat, annoyed at her. He had started the day off in a bad mood and it only seemed to be getting worse. If he had only known how annoying she would be, he would have never taken her up on her offer behind the bleachers. But then again, she was a good fuck, so he dealt with the clinginess. She stomped her foot, looking as if she were going to argue before something else caught her attention. It was if all her rage had been suddenly redirected to another poor unsuspecting soul. I turned, following her gaze across the quad to what she was glaring at.

It was her, the girl, the one from the grocery mart. Her steps had purpose, her stride confident without looking snobbish. The red-haired beauty possessed an air of poise and elegance that no girl her age, or any age for that matter, could have. She had managed to capture the entire student body's attention, including Jace's, by simply walking past them. For a brief moment, his cloudy day had brightened. He frowned slightly as the two men from last night followed close behind her. She was probably just some spoiled rich kid.

"Who the fuck is that?" Aline scoffed, folding her arms across her chest and turning back towards the group.

"Shut up Aline, did you see her bag?! That's from the new Hermès collection! It's not even available yet! Eeeeek! There is a God! And he loves me! Finally someone with actually style in this godforsaken town!" Isabelle cried out, falling to her knees and flailing her arms about wildly. I rolled my eyes at her dramatic display with a chuckle.

"Isabelle Lightwood. Please report to the office immediately." the school secretary's voice filled the PA system.

She perked up, hearing her name. "My chance" she breathed, scrambling up on her feet, grabbing her bag, kissing Simon on the cheek, and running off towards the office.

**Clary's POV**

"Here is your class schedule and locker number as well as a map of the school. A student has been assigned to show you around for your first day, she'll be here shortly." the elderly women said to her with a smile. She was a little too cheery. It threw her off. She took the schedule and map, looking it over at the counter while Landon and Markus sat in the waiting room chairs. They both tensed as someone threw open the office doors, and strutted in.

"You called?" the person sang, leaning over the counter. It was the girl from the parking garage, the one with the sex god. Clary stifled a giggle at her entrance, moving over so the girl could have room to talk to the secretary.

"Ah! here she is," the secretary addressed me. "Isabelle, this is Clarissa Fray, she just moved here from New York. You'll be showing her around. Alright?"

"Oh, um, it's just Clary actually" Clary interrupted

"No probs Ms. Hendricks." the girl replied, looping her arm around Clary's and leading her out. "Come on newbie, I'll show you around, but you have to promise to tell me how you got that bag." Isabelle said, steering her out of the office and out the doors. Landon and Markus stood and followed the two out.

"So are the monkeys in suits going to be following us around all day?" Isabelle asked bluntly, as they walked down the hallway, earning a laugh from Clary.

"Oh God I hope not…but knowing my father, they might" I replied realizing they were still behind us. She simply shrugged her shoulders unfazed.

"It's alright, makes you look pretty badass actually. I mean of all the days I didn't bring my camera, today would be the day! The reactions from some of the kids as you walked by. Priceless!" she shook her head, laughing.

They walked through the school really quickly actually. It wasn't that big of a campus and Izzy was a pretty fast talker so they still had a few minutes to stop by their lockers and grab their books before the first bell.

"Okay, well that's where all of your classes will be and pretty much the whole school. We don't have any morning classes together but thankfully we are in a lot of the same afternoon classes. I'll meet you here at lunch and show you the cafeteria. Alright gotta go,see you at lunch Clary!" the girl waved before running in the opposite direction towards her class. "OH! And call me Izzy!" she shouted before disappearing around the corner.

When Clary turned back around, Markus and Landon both stood side by side next to her locker. As if they were guarding some deep secret. "Okay, look.. this whole 'you both following me around all day' isn't going to work." she said, putting her hands on her hips to show she meant business.

"I'm sorry Miss Fray but, we have orders. We are to stay here and protect you" Landon replied in a monotonous tone.

"Oh come on" she wined, hopping up and down slightly. "Can't you just wait in the car or something..I will never blend in here with the secret service flanking me at every turn. And plus, people might get suspicious as to who I am. What if this gets on you know who's radar..Valentine won't be to happy then I'm sure." She said, folding her arms across her chest.

After a few minutes of debate and two calls to Valentine she had successfully negotiated that Landon and Markus would drop her off in the mornings and return exactly at 3:15 PM to pick her up.

When she had finally gotten them to leave, the second bell had already rang and she was a few minutes late to her first class. "Crap" she said to herself, taking off in the opposite direction to the room Isabelle had pointed out to her.

As she walked through the door of Chemistry almost every pair of eyes were glued to her. "Ahh, Miss Fray, please do come in. You must be the new student." the teacher, Mr. Roth greeted warmly; not even taking notice to how late she was. Clary smiled politely, nodding her head to his question. "You'll be partnered with Jace Heronalde for this semester. He's just over there, here is your assignment."

"Thanks" she replied, taking the paper and walking over to where her lab partner sat. Jace. He was golden boy. She smiled to herself, the name fit perfectly. He was every bit as perfect and flawless as the first time she saw him. It momentarily stunned her.

"I know I'm good looking, but you could at least try not to drool" he grumbled as she took her seat. The smile faded instantly, replaced by a growing scowl. Well s_omeone's grumpy._ Rolling her eyes, she pulled out her notebook and turned towards the teacher who had just began his lecture.

"I guess we should be working together on this. Wouldn't want you falling behind on your first day" he said as they neared the end of class.

"It's alright, I'm already finished." she said blankly. "But thanks for the offer." He stared at her a bit stunned; not sure whether she was serious or joking. With a smirk Clary stood and walked to the front, handing in her finished work. "And for the record," she said, leaning across his desk to look him in the eye. "you're not that good looking, so please get over yourself." she said in an annoyed tone. It was a total lie but she couldn't think of anything else to bash him with.

During the coarse of her little outburst she hadn't realized how close their faces had gotten. Shivers ran up and down her spine; the good kind. She had just insulted him, so why did she have this intense desire to bring his face down to hers and kiss him? She could have sworn he felt it too. He looked like he was about to say something but then the bell rang, giving her the perfect opportunity to make a dramatic exit. Shoving away from the desk, she gathered her things and slung her bag over her shoulder, walking out of the class without another word.

Her next few classes were uneventful and filled with lots of lectures, notes, and the occasional smart-ass comment made by someone in the class. She had just left her American Lit class and was heading towards her locker when someone came up behind her and linked their arms. Isabelle. a smile spread across her face. "Hey Isabelle" Clary laughed turning to see the girl smiling next to her.

"Oh god, no. Call me Izzy, or Iz." she laughed leading them towards the cafeteria. "How'd your first few classes go? Did anyone bother you?" she asked before throwing open the double doors and stalking towards a table off to the side of the room by the windows. She really had a thing about making an entrance. It was a wonder she never managed to hit anyone. Clary had to walk faster in order to keep up with the tall girls quick stride.

"They were alright. My lab partner in Chem is such a pain in the ass." they both laughed as they neared the table. Her smile faltered, morphing into an annoyed expression. Of course Jace would be there, they were obviously close. How could she have forgotten?

"Izzy, it's about time you got here!" the guy with brown hair and glasses said. He ran over, taking her by the waist and leaving a kiss on her cheek.

"Hey Simon, I was showing Clary around. Oh, everyone!" she said, addressing those at the table "This is Clary, she's new, be nice." with that Isabelle and Simon dashed out of the room. _Yeah, thanks for the introductions Iz!_

Turning around she looked at all around the table. A boy with dark hair and blue eyes sat in the back talking privately to another boy around their age with dark hair and glittery eye liner. Next to them was two girls, both caked in makeup and clothed in skimpy dresses. She recognized one of them as the girl who had been whining all over Jace that morning. A carmel skinned girl with dark brown locks was seated next to them looking up at her smiling. And then there was Jace in all his brooding glory. "Um..hi" she said awkwardly, not knowing what to do exactly.

"Hi, I'm Maia" the pretty girl with smooth carmel skin greeted, patting the open seat next to her. "Sorry about Isabelle, she's a bit oblivious to social courtesy at times."

"It's alright" Clary laughed shakily, dropping her bag at her feet and taking a seat next to Maia. Jace glanced up at her once, before returning his attention back to his phone.

"So your dad must be pretty important than huh? I mean..judging from the security escort you had this morning." Maia questioned. It was an innocent enough question, but it had Clary panicking. What exactly was she supposed to say to something like that?

"Oh not really…just a little over protective I guess" she smiled, trying to laugh it off. Maia shrugged her shoulders, dropping the matter. The next few minutes went by awkwardly as everyone ate quietly and tended to their own conversations.

"That's a nice bag Clarissa…I almost couldn't tell it was a fake." the dark haired asian girl sneered, breaking the awkward silence. She was practically sitting in Jace's lap and he didn't even seem to notice. Actually, he didn't seem to care about anything really. He was obviously a self-absorbed ass, so why did it bother her so much?

"Shut the fuck up Aline" Maia jumped to Clary's defense. Rolling her eyes, Aline returned back to her salad. "Just saying" she muttered.

"It's um not a fake actually…my dad gave it to me when he got back from Paris last month. He's good friends with the designer." Clary replied, feeling the need to point out that tiny little detail. When the bell rang, Clary couldn't have been happier! Grabbing her bag she quickly stood and began walking towards the door. "Bye Clary, it was nice meeting you!" Maia called from the table, you should come hang out with us later after school" she offered. Clary looked back, nodding in response "I'll think about it" she said before entering into the masses of people crowding to get out of the lunch room and into their next class.

-**Time lapse-**

Isabelle wasn't lying when she said they had a few classes together after lunch. They had ALL of their afternoon classes together. Usually someone like Izzy wasn't the type of person Clary liked to hang out with but for some reason the spunky girl had already become an instant best friend. Looking down at her schedule she realized that her next class was Art! _Yes! Finally something I'm good at!_ she remarked to herself. "I gotta go put my books away but I'll see you in art, okay?"

"Yeah no problem, see you there" she replied as Izzy bolted off to her locker.

As soon as she walked into the art room she knew this was going to be her favorite class. The art class was located on the second level and had floor to ceiling windows covering an entire half of the room. Stools and easel's had been set up in a big circle at the center of the room. Student's had started filing in, dropping off their bags, grabbing an apron and supplies, then sitting at a stool.

"Hi there, you must be Clarissa! I am Ms. Fairchild" a cheery voice sounded behind her. Clary smiled looking up to the woman. Yep, definitely her favorite class. The teacher had her jet black hair, chopsticked into a messy bun by a paintbrush and sketching pencil. A swath of violet paint was smeared across her left cheek. The apron she adorned was covered in an assortment of blue, cream, and green, paints. "Here is your apron, and you are going to be sitting over there by the window" Ms. Fairchild said, pointing her to an unoccupied easel.

"That's me, and it's just Clary" she smiled before taking her apron and walking over to her station. She excitedly ran her fingers over the brushes and different pallets assigned to her for the day. Dropping her bag, Clary gathered up her mess of curls into a bun and stabbed a pencil through them. Slipping the new apron over her head, she sat down and stared at the blank canvas, formulating a picture in her mind to paint.

She must have been deep in thought because she didn't even realize that someone had plopped down next to her. "Hellooo, earth to Clary" Isabelle sang.

"Oh, hey Iz" Clary laughed turning in her seat. The girls chatted a bit before the teacher clapped her hands to get the classes attention.

"Alright everyone! Today you are going to be partnered up with someone and drawing a portrait of them!" she smiled handing out sheets of paper with the partners list. Before the sheet got to her, Jace was walking over to her, dropping his bag at her feet. "Looks like we're partners again" he said dully.

"Oh..cool…do you want to go first?" she offered. He looked at her like she was crazy.

"I think we just do it at the same time.." he replied looking at her like she was a moron.

"Oh" was all she said, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks. "Right." looking around at the other students, she had noticed people were turning their desks so they could look at their partners, and be and drawn at the same time. "..Right"

They drew in silence for the next 20 minutes. Four times she had erased sections of his face and replaced them with similar lines. She just couldn't get the angle on his cheekbones and eyes right. Being the perfectionist that she was, Clary hated having even the smallest mistakes.

"You okay over there Red?" Jace broke the silence as she once again took the eraser to her canvas. "If you're having trouble with the assignment, you could always just make a stick figure" he scoffed while continuing to draw. "I'm sure Ms. Fairchild won't mind."

Her face hardened as he mocked her, "No I'm fine. Just having trouble fitting all of your arrogance on here." she replied, clearly annoyed. He chuckled from behind his own canvas.

"Alright class, time is up" Ms. Fairchild spoke up half an hour later, asking for everyone to turn in their work.

Clary had been concentrating so hard that she didn't even hear Jace stand up and come around behind her. "Come on Red, times up" he said "Ms. Fairchild wants- woah" he breathed, leaning over her shoulder to get closer look at the piece. It was almost an exact replica of Jace except in this one he had a large set of majestic wings protruding from his back.

Clary turned her head "Do you..like it? I'm not quite finished but-" she started, biting her lip and starting to worry about what he thought about it.

"Its…you're…it's really good" he said, staring at the portrait. It was the first time he had said something to her without the usual sarcastic remarks. She stared up at him as he gazed at her work, wondering what he thought.

"Really good!? Are you kidding? DAAAYYUUMM Clary! You're amazing" Isabelle gushed, coming up next to them and shoving Jace out of the way.

"Thanks" she said quietly. Taking it off the clip, she took it up to Ms. Fairchild and received a much similar reaction from her. When she returned back to grab her stuff Isabelle and Jace had disappeared. Looking up at the clock she noticed it was already 3:05, she only had 10 minutes! Cleaning up her area and hanging her apron up, she grabbed her coat and bag, rushing out of the class and down the empty hallway.

Reaching her locker, she flung it open, throwing all of her books into her bag and slamming it shut. Turning around, she was about to run out to the parking lot when she collided with a tall, muscular, body. "Oof" she gasped as he caught her in his arms. "Jace..we've um..gotta stop meeting like this" Clary stuttered as he stepped closer, leaning his head down a bit and staring into her large emerald eyes. Her heart rate picked up rapidly at his closeness.

"Why did you give me wings" he whispered. Tilting her head in confusion she tried to figure out what in the world he was talking about. "The picture, Clary, why did you give me wings?" he demanded, calling her by her name. He was so close now, so close that she could feel his breath on her skin

"Oh" she said remembering the wings she had added onto the drawing at the last minute in Art. "I don't…I don't know, they just seemed to.." she started, looking down at her feet.

"they just seemed to what" he asked again, his voice softening as he placed a hand underneath her chin and bringing her gaze back up to his.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. It was a wonder he couldn't hear it. "They just seemed to fit" she breathed, looking up into his golden eyes. they stared at each other for what seemed like forever before she shook her head and pushed him away from her. He didn't budge. "W-wait…wait no… You ignore me and act like a jerk all day and then all of a sudden you're sweet and caring and and and… and all over me?!" the anger of how he practically dismissed her all day starting to rise in her chest.

"Oh come on Red, you can't really be that mad now can you" he murmured, leaning in closer and caressing the side of her face. Her pulse jumped as his breath tickled her neck. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the locker.

"Just because you're pretty doesn't..doesn't mean you can get whatever you want" she replied shakily, the walls of her defense starting to break down.

"I can be …very…persuasive when I want to be" he rumbled, running his nose along her neck, sending all kinds of sensations tingling down her body "Forgive me.." he whispered. Clary was close to giving in, so close to grabbing his face and closing the distance between their lips. To running her fingers through his golden locks. To giving in to all the dirty thoughts racing through her brain. If only she could stop the time and-

Time.

Shit!

Her eyes fluttered open, looking down at her watch. 3:20. shit shit shit! Breaking away, she looked up at him with wide eyes "I-I have to go" Clary said hurriedly, moving away from him and bolting down the hallway. "I have to go."

"Clary?" she heard him say before shoving the doors open and disappearing into the throng of students.

Now outside in the fresh air, she stopped a second, leaning against the railing. Jace almost kissed her. She almost let him..Jace… almost kissed her! A smile spread across her lips as moved about the crowd.

Glancing up from the railing she noticed the two black SUV's parked in between a jet black Tesla with dark tinted guys stood in black suits guarding the middle car and observing the school. Valentine. Guess he wanted to pick her up on her first day of school. _Crap_. Thankfully, he had enough sense to park enough to the side as to not draw any attention from the school.

Clary knew he had spotted her the second she had stepped through the double doors. Landon and Markus ran up to her as she approached the sidewalk. "You're late." one of them said quietly.

"I know..I'm sorry, had to stay behind for a few minutes to talk to my art teacher." she replied quickly. As they neared the car, Landon opened the car door and Valentine stepped out. Looking down at her expectantly. "You're late. I said 3:15." he said coldly.

"Hello father.." she replied quietly, turning her gaze down to the ground, letting her hair fall around her face like a curtain. He grabbed her chin, jerking her face up.

"You're late." he repeated, inspecting her face with a hard glare

"I-I'm sorry, the art teacher wanted to discuss some things about the semester before I left" she said, on the verge of tears.

"Don't make a scene, just get in the car" he snapped, shoving her into the car.

Her heart beat thrummed inside of her chest as the car door shut behind her. "I said 3:15." he repeated.

Leaning against the window, tears fell silently down her cheek as they pulled out of the parking lot. The last thing she saw was the look of concern on Jace's face as they passed by. Had he seen? Oh please no.

Tonight was not going to be any fun.

**Jace's POV**

Jace's head was pounding as he opened the doors and stepped out of the hallway, scanning the crowd for Clary. She had looked so scared when she ran off. The first person he saw was Isabelle and Maia, standing on top of a school bench looking out at something on the other side of the parking lot. "Jace!" she cried hopping off the bench. "Have you seen these guys?! I think they're secret service, or or FBI or something! Come here! Look!" she shouted excitedly.

He rolled his eyes, following her line of sight to the caravan of men in black SUVs and a long tesla between them._The fuck? _When the door of the black tesla opened and a middle aged man stepped out Jace could have sworn that they had met or he had seen his face somewhere. he watched in confusion as Clary emerged from the back of the school, walking up to the man with her body guards from that morning. She looked terrified. Hell the girl was shaking!

"I knew there was something going on with her!" Maia shouted

"Calm down Maia, he's probably just really rich and paranoid" Isabelle replied as the two looked away from the cars and down at some new shoes Izzy had purchased the other day.

Jace's face hardened as the man grabbed Clary's chin and yanked her face up to him, it looked like she was about to cry. He clenched his fists as the man threw her into the car. Whats this guys problem? Paranoid? More like overbearing son of a bitch. "Jace?…Jace are you okay? Hey…Jace?" Isabelle interrupted his thoughts.

"Hm?" he replied, looking away and realizing how angry he must have looked.

"you uh..looked a bit upset there for a minute." she said hesitantly.

"I'm fine, come on we should go, mom and dad will be back from work soon." He said loosening his fists and shoving his backpack over his shoulder. She nodded, grabbing her bag and following Jace as they walked to his car. He looked up as the three cars drove out of the parking lot, wondering if Clary could see him through the blackened windows.

* * *

**Ta Daa! Well that is the end of chapter 3, sorry if it was a little lame. I know I didn't reveal much about SD-13 or why Clary is so special. I'm still working out a few details. I know I wrote Jace kinda as an ass but he'll soften up eventually. Before I leave you, I have a few questions that I really hope you'll give some feedback:**

**1\. How would you guys feel about Jace, Izzy, and Alec's parents being a part of SD-13?  
****2\. Do you guys like reading about Clary at highschool? Or would you rather like to read about her outside of school?**

**Thanks for reading! Until next time ;) **


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so so so sorry for the late upload! I wrote, rewrote, scrapped, and edited this chapter at least 4 times. None of them seemd right and so I have finally settled on this one. I hope you like it and was worth the wait. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMI, all credit to Cassandra Clare blah blah blah you guys know the drill**

**Before I let you read, I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed and sent me such nice messages! You guys rock. **

* * *

The next morning Clary awoke with a groan. Her muscles were screaming in pain with every breath she took. she laid, staring at the ceiling, willing the pain to go away soon. On the bedside table, her iPhone buzzed with a few incoming texts. It was Izzy.

Iz: **collab-day today! Shopping?**

Me: **collab-day?**

Iz: **teacher meetings - - all afternoon classes canceled!**

Iz: **so are you coming?**

I squinted my eyes as they flashed over the text. That meant no math, english, or PE! It also meant no art class either. I frowned at the last thought, but quickly got over it. I wasn't a major fan of shopping, but if it meant being away from Valentine then I was all for it. slipping on my slippers and opening the door, I went downstairs where Valentine sat hunched over a laptop in the kitchen. "Goodmorning my pet" he cooed as I grabbed a glass and some orange juice. He was obviously feeling fine after last night. No doubt didn't even remember any of it.

"Goodmorning Valentine" I smiled, doing my best to seem happy and obedient. At a very young age I learned to never call Valentine 'father' or 'daddy.' Something about the terms made something snap within himself. And right now was not the time to have a fight.

Putting the carton back in to the fridge I walked over to the bar, sliding on to the plastic barstool. "So… a girl from school just text me and told me that it's a collaboration day at school. Everyone get's out at twelve."

"Oh?" he asked, quirking a brow. "Alright. I'll have the boys pick you up then." he stated while still fully engrossed as to whatever was on his screen.

Clary bit down on her lip, she had to word this perfectly or else Valentine would freak out. With any luck, she'd get the entire afternoon off free of her father and the brat-patrol. "Alright" I nodded, impassively "These girls at school were talking about going shopping, but I told them I couldn't go. You should have seen their faces, it was like I was some kind of alien species! I swear that is all they do here" I ended with a laugh, picking up a magazine and flipping through a few pages.

Valentine looked at me with wide eyes. I had his full attention now. Manipulation was never so easy. "Clarissa! We are here to assimilate, to blend!" he said matter-of-factly. Valentine turned back to his laptop, then looked down at the ground thinking aloud to himself. "no no it's not safe….oh but she must..they might notice her….hmm..no ..no no…yes! Hmm…Yes, yes yes."

"You're going." he deadpanned, looking her straight in the eye.

I looked at him surprised. _OMFG it worked!i "_A-are you sure Valentine?"

"yes, yes…It's settled. Landon will give you some money. Go on, get dressed, shop, blend in" he said shooing me out of the kitchen.

"Alright, thank you da-Valentine" I smiled widely, before running up the stairs. My excitement could hardly be contained! I was actually going shopping! Like as a hangout and not because I needed things because of a big move across the country.

Clary: **When do we leave?! :D**

"EEEEEK! Clary I'm so excited you get to come with us!" Isabelle shrieked excitedly, throwing her arms around me. "We are going to have So. Much. Fun!" When I had gotten to school that morning Isabelle was practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation for that afternoons activities. Now that classes had finally finished she was literally shredding through the crowds of students towards the parking lot. "Is she always like this?" I murmured to Jace who stood next to me.

"She hasn't had her own personal barbie doll in a while." someone answered loudly for him while squeezing between us and linking his arm around mine. "I'm Magnus by the way." The extravagant boy introduced himself. It took me a moment to fully take in his appearance. He was very handsome with high cheek bones and full lips. From afar I hadn't really noticed the extent of his style but now up close I could see exactly why him and Isabelle were so close. He wore a long grey trench coat with black leather pants and a royal blue sweater underneath. Grey glitter eyeliner thickly lined the outside of his green eyes.

"Oh shoot! I forgot to clean out my car!" Isabelle exclaimed as they reached her two door convertible. Clothes, makeup, and other various beauty products were piled high in the girls backseat. There was no way someone could fit in the backseat, even someone as small as Clary.

"It's alright, she can come with me" Jace answered quickly. He had barely said two words to her all day and now suddenly he was offering her a ride? Jace Heronalde was quite possibly the most confusing human she had ever met.

He led me over to a dark grey Infiniti. Unlike Isabelle, Jace had kept his car in impeccable shape. Not a single fiber of lint cluttered the immaculate automobile. "Nice car" I breathed as he opened the door for me. _what a gentlemen. _I raised my eyebrows in surprise while sliding across the smooth leather leaned down close to my face, my heart fluttered with how close he was. "…Try not to drool on the interior, angel" he smirked, before shutting the door. I snapped my mouth shut and instantly an annoyed look washed over my face. "Prick" I whispered as he walked across the front of the car.

The drive over to the mall was short. Barely 10 minutes. Jace blasted music through the speakers the entire time, making any attempts at conversation impossible. His hands strummed mesmerizingly along the steering wheel to the beat. I briefly wondered what it would be like to have his hands on me, but shook that vision away quickly. I breathed a sigh of relief when we finally found a parking spot and the blaring music came to an end. "So why'd you agree to go shopping with Iz? It's obviously not a hobby you enjoy." Jace had said as we walked through the parking lot. I was momentarily stunned.

"It's not the fact that we are shopping that made me want to come, but rather that I was getting to hang out with friends. Believe it or not, that doesn't happen very often for me" I confessed, saying the last part barely above a whisper. I sneaked a glance up at him. Bad idea. He was staring down at me pityingly, as if trying to figure out a jigsaw puzzle. "..Because of your dad?" he said more of a statement than a question. I nodded my head. I could feel his stare practically burning a hole in my head but refused to look up at him. "He's just protective.." I murmured the rehearsed line. He nodded his head, obviously not convinced, but thankfully not pushing the subject.

When we walked inside the mall Isabelle already had two bags from Brandy Melville on each arm. "I tried to wait for you, I really did but they just screamed to me. I couldn't walk away" she had said guiltily. "Come on! I saw the most amazing dress for you at Bloomies! You are going to die!"

"She's right, you are!" Magnus piped up. He fondled my red curls curiously as the group made their way down to Bloomingdales. "The dress is going to pop against these." And he was right. The dress was a brilliant shade of royal blue. It was also extremely short; barely reached mid thigh. Thankfully, it had long sleeves and a high neckline that covered most of my bruises. A faint hint of purple and blue dusted across the back of my right shoulder. But my hair covered it so I had nothing to worry about.

"Are you ready yet?!" Isabelle said in the next stall over.

"Umm…" I replied, tugging at the fabric, willing for it to come down longer with no such luck.

"Don't make me come in there and rip the curtain down Clary!" Izzy retorted. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before pulling the curtain back and stepping out into the viewing area.

"It's alright…but these shoes are impossible to walk in Iz." I said hesitantly as Izzy emerged from her own dressing room in a magnificent silver gown that was about as long as my own. She looked flawless. When I had come out of the room I hadn't realized there would be an audience, but of course their was. Alec and Jace both sat lazily on the couch nearby; Alec playing on his phone and Jace with his head propped up by his hands watching absentmindedly at the tv screen nearby. Magnus was a few feet away mulling through an assortment of nail polish. All three glanced up as we walked out. _shit shit shit _I thought silently to myself. I never was big on attention. _Right then left, right then left, watch the step watch the step! Right then left._

"Shut up! You look Uh-Maezing! Ugh!" Izzy gushed running over to my stall and pulling me over towards the three way mirror. It was a miracle I hadn't tripped over my own damn feet in the process. "Clary it's absolutely stunning on you! Magnus beamed, leaving his pile of nitrocellulose and glitter to join us on my other side.

"Thank you.." I murmured glancing in the mirror back to the only opinion that really mattered to me. He sat in the couch, his eyes blazing over my figure. Heat flushed my cheeks in embarrassment under his analytical gaze. Why, you might ask, was he the only opinion that mattered? I couldn't tell you. but for some reason, having him like the dress made me feel a whole lot more confident. Izzy and Magnus continued talking next to me and eventually moved out of the dressing room towards a pile of shoes Magnus had collected. "They're on sale! We have to get them all" I heard him gush.

Turning back to the mirror, I just continued to stare at myself. The only other person who had been able to make me feel this beautiful was Leveanna. I wish she could be here for this. To see me making friends. Real ones this time. "You look beautiful" a deep voice interrupted my thoughts. I glanced up, noticing Jace who had moved from his position on the couch over to my side. He has his hands shoved in his pockets, looking at me through the mirror.

"So he speaks" I reply sarcastically. He chuckles lightly at my response. "Would you prefer me not to?" His eyes turn bright and mischievous as his hands snake around my waist, pulling me back into the dressing room. My breathing hitches as he closes the distance between us. "Because I can do that as well" I am breathing rather heavily now. He has his body pressed against me which is backed up against the wall. I glance from his lips to his eyes that are now very, very close to my own.

My heart is pounding through my chest, threatening to burst through. It was like just being this close to him had drugged me I realize what is happening, his lips are crushing down against mine and our tongues are instantly engaged in a sensuous dance. I run my fingers through his golden locks, something I had been dying to do since day one. His hands are moving expertly across my slender frame, eliciting embarrassing moans from me. Had I not been so drunk on Jace my cheeks would have been on fire by now. "Jace.." I whisper "We shouldn't your sister is right-" almost instantly we both hear the clatter of heels against the old linoleum flooring.

"Clary, are you ready to go yet? Magnus and I want to hit a few more stores before closing" Isabelle's voice fills the echoing dressing room. Jace and I instantly separate to either corners of the room, neither of us saying a word. We stand there, staring at each other. I can see the instant panic that has been stained on my face mirrored in his own. Before I can do anything, Jace is by my side, pulling me to the center of the changing room and turning me around to face the mirror.

"We're in here Iz, the zipper on Clary's dress got caught. She'll be ready in a minute" Jace replies as he slowly unzips the dress. I close my eyes, relishing his touch, letting my mind drift off to a more x-rated version of why this greek god was removing my clothing.

"Oh no!" I can practically hear Isabelle frowning. "MAGNUS GET ANOTHER ONE OF THE ARMANI BLUE IN CLARY'S SIZE! I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVE TO PUSH OVER AN OLD WOMAN, JUST GET IT!" we hear her scream. Both of us have to cover out mouths in order to keep ourselves from cracking up.

When he finishes unzipping the dress I can feel his long fingers brush against the small of my back subtly and slowly move up towards my neck before sliding one side off my shoulder. I feel his lips against my shoulder and lean back against him automatically. His lips travel up my neck but I cry in anguish as his hand moves over the large bruise covering my opposite shoulder. I quickly recover and turn around. "Clary? What's the matter, are you hurt?" he asks in confusion.

"I-I'm sorry…It's nothing, I just fell the other day. I was just..surprised, is all" I strutter, trying to laugh it off. I can tell by his expression that he is having none of it. "Clary, let me see-"

"Jace? What's taking so long! Magnus already has the duplicate!" Isabelle interrupts. "But we should hurry.. I think he stole it out of this other woman's hands." He glances up at me once before disappearing behind the curtain but I know this isn't the end of the conversation. Once he's gone I feel myself slumping against the wall, letting out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. _Well shit. _

After we left Bloomingdales, Izzy and Magnus dragged us to at least 20 other stores where Isabelle insisted on buying at least one thing at each of them. Through the duration of the shopping trip, Jace hadn't mention one word about the incident in Bloomingdales. By the time we finished up at Zara's I was about ready to go crash, both mentally and physically. Jace and Alec seemed to be on the same page as well. "So, are you still enjoying 'hanging out'? " Jace grumbled sarcastically as we fell into plushy chairs. Izzy and Magnus had reluctantly agreed to stop for an hour to eat.

I huffed, defeated, while picking up a menu and hiding my face with it. "Maybe next time we should do something a little less..athletic" I laughed.

He chucked beside me, picking up his own menu and browsing through the selections. After a few minutes a waitress finally came over and began to take our order. "And what can I get you sugar?" she asked, batting her pathetic eyelashes at Jace. I wanted to throw up. _Seriously? Just take our order and go_ I thought annoyed. Where did all these emotions come from? Jace was obviously good looking so I couldn't exactly blame her for trying..

We all ordered our food and began snacking on the bread. When Nancy, the waitress, returned with our food and drinks, she pressed her palms against the edge of the table, leaning over towards Jace, giving him an impressive view of her cleavage. "Is there…anything else I can get for you?" she asked.

"No thank you, we're perfectly fine" Izzy replied curtly, clearly annoyed with Nancy's behavior as well. At least I wasn't the only one. The waitress leaned back off the table, shooting Izzy an evil glance. "You can leave now" Izzy body checked the girl while shooing her off. Nancy rolled her eyes and walked away. Jace hadn't even looked at the girl. I smiled triumphantly to myself. "What a slut" Izzy said as the waitress walked away.

"Agreed" I murmued, spearing my pieces of chicken. Jace smirked at me. _Oh stop giving me that look golden boy_. The rest of lunch went by uneventful. Magnus and Isabelle droned on about the newest collections while Alec and Jace conversed about football season coming up. "You'll be at our first game won't you Red?" Jace nudged my shoulder.

I smiled nodding my head "I'll try… I have to ask my dad first"

"Awesome" Alec said excited. "This year is gonna be the best! Seriously Dalton Prep won't know what hit them!"

Jace had been explaining to me about how last year they had almost made the championships when a strange woman approached our table and gripped my arm. She had on a dark navy pinstripe pantsuit and her white blonde hair slicked back into a bun. "Clarissa? Is-is that you?" she asked, her icy blue eyes flashing across my face. "You're….you're so big now, oh my dear! Where have you been all this time?" she exclaimed, wrapping me into a tight hug. I stiffened under her embrace and pulled myself away. "I..I'm sorry, I don't know who you are." I said as panic began to take over my body. This must be one of the people Valentine had warned were hunting me. I froze in fear.

"No no…you must be Clarissa, Clarissa Morgenstern! I never forget someone. Especially one as special as you." She said shaking my shoulders.

"No.. you must be mistaken" my voice trembled. I backed away into a wall that stood behind me. Funny, there hadn't been one there a minute ago. The woman advanced towards me, reaching out her arms to grab me again but stopped. "You ARE Clarissa Morgenstern and you must come back with me to the Institute. We have been searching for you for so long-"

"She said, you must be mistaken..Please leave. Now." Jace's deep commanding voice seethed behind me. He wrapped his arm protectively around my waist, bringing me close to his side and away from the woman. Next to us, the entire table was staring quizzically at the interaction. The woman stared at me, her eyes begging me to come back with her. Even through the fear and confusion cluttering my mind, there was something familiar and happy about this woman that stood out in my memory. Seeing that I obviously wasn't going to move, the woman huffed annoyed and stalked out of the mall hurriedly. She pulled out a cellphone and began furiously dialing a number and shouting into the receiver.

"What the hell was that about?" Izzy asked, breaking the awkward silence. "Are you alright?" Jace's soothing voice murmed next to my ear. He had me enveloped in a hug, trying to stop my shaking. I nodded quickly. "Um.. I'm sorry you guys, but I have to go..my dad, he's uh expecting me home now." I said, unfolding myself from Jace's embrace and picking up my purse and bags.

"Here, I'll drive you" Jace said, grabbing his keys.

"No!" I replied quickly. He froze at my sudden outburst. "My dad, he sent someone to pick me up. They're waiting outside. But thank you" I smiled, genuinely thankful for his concern. Everyone just stared at me with equal amounts of confusion.

"No problem Clary" Isabelle said hesitantly. "We'll see you in school then, this was fun" she smiled, giving me a quick hug. I hugged and thanked her for bringing me then waved at the rest before rushing out the door where Landon and Markus stood waiting. "Take me home" I said quickly. They caught the urgency in my tone and immediately snapped into protection mode. "Is everything alright Miss Morgenstern?" Markus asked, taking my bags and helping me into the car. "Fray!" I yelled nervously as they shut the door. "My name is Clary Fray." I repeated.

**Jace's POV.**

"No! My dad, he sent someone to pick me up. They're waiting outside."

I stopped as Clary quickly grabbed her stuff and began rushing out the door. "um..okay" I mumbled, setting my keys back down at the table. I stared off as the red head disappeared behind the sliding glass doors. What was that about?

"I'm just gonna go make sure she got to them alright." I said before running after her. When I passed through the door, I immediately spotted her climbing into a black suv with the same guys who had escorted her to school earlier. She seemed panicked. I scooted along the side of the wall attempting to listen in on whatever they were saying.

"Is everything alright Miss. Morgenstern?" I heard one of them say. Morgenstern? But that was the name that the woman had called her. I watched in confusion as they drove off. When I returned back to the table Alec looked up at me, "So'd your little princess make it back to her soldiers okay?" he joked. I laughed picking up a fry and tossing it at Izzy, "Wha- Jace!" she exclaimed, picking the greasy fry out of her hair.

"Hey, what was Clary's last name again?" I asked, ignoring her annoyed look. She stared at me through squinted eyes. "..Fray" she finally answered hesitantly, looking at me like I was crazy.

Hmm..then why did they call her Morgenstern? And more importantly, who was that woman?

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**Thank you for reading my latest installment. I do hope you like it. Please please please review below! Even if it's just something as simple as "Liked it" or "ehh" I literally check every 5 seconds to see what you guys think of the chapters and stare at each individual review for the longest time! Ciao**


	5. Chapter 5

**What is this?! Oh look! Another update within 2 days of the previous! :O I really felt the love from all of you guys this week so I wanted to get the next chapter out as soon as possible! I hope you guys like it :) Please continue to post your thoughts below in the review box :) **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMI, all credit for characters and inspiration go to Cassandra Clare; however, concept and plot are of my own creation.**

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When I got home that night, Valentine demanded to know how the trip went. I knew that if I told him about the woman he would flip shit and move us that very night. But I didn't want to leave Portland. I liked it here. So I kept quiet, and told him it was great. Thankfully, he seemed to be occupied with more important things and let my vague description satisfy his curiosity.

I sat on my bed for hours, running the conversation with the strange woman over and over in my head. Valentine had always described them as emotionless, evil, people who would not hesitate to shoot me down where I stood. And yet, the woman seemed so kind and gentle. I recalled the 'Institute' she talked about. Such a strange name. Jumping off my bed, I ran over to the middle of my floor, pushing aside the fluffy shag rug and popping open a loose floorboard. Inside was a gun and mag, some cash, and a laptop. Valentine didn't allow me a laptop of my own, so I found a way around it. Pulling it out of it's protective sleeve, I powered it up and quickly searched about the institute. Nothing came up. I tried a few more searches and still nothing. On a long shot I typed in The Institute, Clarissa Morgenstern. Only one link flashed across the screen. I clicked it and the page redirected me to a blog called Unveiled Archives. The most recent post was from a user called the PeoplesAdvocate. Most of the article was a bunch of conspiracy speculation by the author about the corruption of government. I skimmed over most of the post until I saw something that caught my attention.

".._An anonymous source confirmed that secret government organizations are still searching for the stolen Morgenstern child, Clarissa. They have narrowed the search down to the American Continent where they continue the pursuit for the Valentine and his men. Sightings have popped up all over the globe including Russia, France, Sweden, Australia, Greece, Brazil, Japan, and now finally back to America. We continue to ask, without answer, who this child is and why she is so important. We will not be silenced! We will continue to dig! We the people deserve to know exactly what our government is up to… "_

I stared at my computer in surprise. scrolling down through the rest of the website in search for more but it never mentioned anything else about the Morgenstern child. It explained more about a place called the Institute but there were no facts or suspected locations. I shut the laptop down, replacing it back within the secret floor panel, and walked back over to my bed.

I had been fiddling with the necklace around my neck, thinking about the article when suddenly the door was thrown open. "Clarissa. Hodge is in the basement waiting for you." Markus announced. He quickly turned around and left. I groaned against the fluffy pillows. Valentine had been making me do sessions with Dr. Hodge ever since I could first remember. They both seemed to believe that there was something special about me but could never quite figure it out. Up until now the tests were simple, quite boring actually. They tested my abilities in math, science, memorization, combat, medicine, art, and many other areas, but they always came back normal.

When I walked into the basement, Hodge was leaning over a table with various instruments laid out. A chill swept over my body as I noticed some were quite sharp. "Hello Clarissa, please take a seat." he said, motioning towards a large complicated looking chair that sat in the center of the room. When I sat down he turned around and pressed some pedals that adjusted the chair. Metal cuffs clicked over and restrained my arms and legs. "Wha-what are those for Hodge?" I asked nervously.

He looked at me impassively "They are there to assure you don't move." he said. Hodge had never been a friendly person, but he had certainly never been a mad scientist type. I flexed my arms under the cool metal, unable to move my hands even an inch. He connected an iv to my arm and removed my shirt, sticking on two stickers against my chest that were connected to a larger beeping machine. After that, Hodge moved behind a glass wall and pressed a red and green button. Another metal strap shot across my waist, keeping me pinned against the chair. "Hodge…I don't like this" I murmured. He didn't answer me and continued on.

"Clarissa" Hodge called "I'm going to make an incision. We are going to test your abilities in rapid cell regeneration. Do NOT move" he cautioned. My bright green eyes flashed across the dark basement, searching for any way out. "I- I don't have cell regeneration, we tried this when I was 't-don't you remember the finger prick" I stuttered. "It won't work, wait! Please! Don't!"

He moved from behind the wall and back to my side. "Yes…I do remember that." he said picking up one of the sharp looking knives with a curved edge. "However, this time I want to try something a little more…fatal." my heart picked up rapidly as his hands drew closer. "If you scream, I will silence you" he warned, waving a rag in front of my face.

Excruciating pain racked my body as the knife sliced across my side. I cried out loudly, begging for him to stop. My hips bucked underneath the restraints. "Clarissa, I said QUIET" he shouted, annoyed. Hodge was starting to remind me more and more of Valentine. I bit down on my lip, willing myself to be quiet. Squeezing my eyes shut I tried keeping my mind off of what was happening.

"Clarissa, I need you to concentrate. You need to will yourself to heal" Hodge's voice loomed over me. I couldn't concentrate, I was in full on shut down mode. Blood flowed freely from the wound, completely soaking my once pristine white mini skirt. My vision started to cloud, and the room started spinning. "H-hodge..I feel-I feel s-sick." I murmured, swaying my head back and forth. Valentine's voice speaking over the PA system was the last thing I heard before everything blacked out.

**Jace POV:**

After lunch with the gang Jace told everyone he was tired and was going home. Izzy and Magnus were planning on staying later for even more shopping so he figured that he needed to get out while he still had the chance. "I gotta go train, see you two at home later" he had said before bolting out of the mall.

When he finally reached the house Jace immediately dropped his bag on the floor of his room, threw on some black combat gear, then ran downstairs into the training room. The Lightwood Manor was a very large 4 story mansion completed with all of the latest furnishings. Downstairs was a very spacious kitchen and living room connected to an outdoor patio. The second level was were Alec, Izzy and their parents rooms were located. On the third floor was a large training area the entire family used to train in combat and self-defense. Jace had been adopted later after they had built the house and so he chose a room on the very top floor. They didn't use any of the rooms on the fourth floor so they had allowed him to knock down all the walls and create one huge open bedroom, something Izzy and Alec had been trying to convince him to trade for years with no success.

"Tim, turn on some music will you" Jace spoke aloud as he walked through the training room doors and over to a fight dummy.

"Right away Jace" a computerized voice filled the room. Tim was a highly advanced computer system Mr. Lightwood had installed throughout the house. Tim controlled everything from the heating and collong systems to the locking of doors and windows. For all intensive purposes, Tim was the butler.

Almost immediately, Black Skinhead flooded the space, causing the floor to vibrate slightly, just how Jace liked it. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the music take over and then instantly began throwing a series of calculated punches and kicks to attack the dummy. He became so absorbed in the routine that he didn't even notice Isabelle walk in an hour later until she shut the music off. "What the hell?" he murmured before turning around and seeing Izzy walking towards him.

"Seriously Jace, you need to take a break! You never stop training and your music is causing the house to shake." she complained as her 6 inch heels clattered across the floor.

"I was just about done" he answered breathlessly while walking over to the fridge and grabbing a water. "You ever hear from Clary? She seemed a little…spooked when she left" he added before downing the entire bottle.

"Nope, I was just about to text her. I'd be freaked out too if some crazy bitch came up and grabbed me, telling me I was someone else." she replied flouncing over to a bean bag and plopping down. "Why the sudden interest hmm? If I didn't know any better, I'd say a certain someone has a biit of a crush" she smirked.

Jace's head shot up at her last comment. "Crush? Ha! Jace doesn't have crushes…Na uh, you must be mistaken" he laughed. Right? I mean yeah, he thought about her more than he's thought of any of the other girls. But that didn't mean anything. It was probably just the thrill of the chase or something. He smirked to himself, remembering how her toned body felt beneath his, the way her lips molded perfectly against his. His cheeks flushed as he remembered the vivid encounter in Bloomingdales.

"Ohmigod!" Izzy jumped up from her bean bag, running over to his side and jumping around "OHMYGOD! YOU LIKE CLARY! I can see it across your face! Thats it! You like her! Jace likes Clary! Jace likes Clary!" she sang.

"I do not like Clary" he shoved her away playfully. Izzy just smirked, grabbing up her bags and walking towards the door. "Whatever you say Jace" she laughed before leaving the room. Sitting down against the training dummy, Jace thought about it. Maybe he did like Clary. Maybe he didn't. It still didn't change things. Jace was not a one-woman guy and he never would be.

**Clary's POV:**

When I awoke, I felt myself laying against something cold and hard. I fluttered my eyes open only to squeeze them shut by the painfully bright lights that invaded my vision. "Looks like someone is finally awake" a familiar voice called. I squinted my eyes, gradually opening them fully as they adjusted to the light. I laid on a rectangular metal table with wires contacted to all sorts of different beeping machines jutting out from my arms and neck. Sitting up and swinging my legs over the edge of the table, I winced, clutching my side. I faintly remembered Hodge slicing me open but it was only a vague memory compared to the pain. "Can you walk" Valentine asked in a cold voice.

"I um think so" I replied, shoving off the table and placing my feet against the cool tile. "Yes." I replied more definitely.

"Alright, good. Here are some pain killers to take before bed and in the morning. If you are still too badly wounded tomorrow you will stay home from school. I don't want anyone questioning that wound. Understand?" I nodded, taking the painkillers. After that, he left, leaving me all alone in the white walled makeshift hospital room. I glanced around, deciding first to take out all of the wires. The one in my neck was the most painful, but once they were out I felt ten times better.

Walking down the hallway was a struggle, four times I had to stop and catch my breath. When I finally closed the door of my bedroom, I breathed a sigh of relief. For now at least I was safe. Walking over to my bathroom I removed the bandage to take a closer look at my wound. Ten stitches stretched across the closed wound. _Asshole _I thought silently to myself, remembering Hodge's stupid test. After replacing the bandage and taking the painkillers I walked over to my bed a slipped under the covers, allowing sleep to take over my body.

It wasn't until later that night around 3 AM in the morning that I woke up due to a searing pain burning from within my body. I clutched my side, fearing I had ripped a stitch or two. Opening my eyes I noticed a white light emanating from under the covers. Throwing off the blanket I saw that it was coming from under my bandage. Carefully pulling it away to get a closer look, I had to shield my eyes as the white light grew brighter. When it finally started to fade I moved my hands, glancing down at where my wound was.

Or _had _been.

When the light finally vanished I blinked my eyes in disbelief. The stitches had disappeared and the only thing left was a tender pink scar. I ran my fingers over the area. It hadn't completely healed, but it would have taken at least a few weeks to have reached this point. What was happening to me?

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**DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN! So it looks like Clary IS pretty special after all hm...Will be revealing more about her "special-ness" in chapter to come. ;)**

**Thank you all again for reading! Please review what you thought below and what you'd like to see in the future such as certain characters, lemons, situations, couple pairings...etc. I want you all to enjoy and be excited about what I'm writing so..yeah, review! **

**Until next time my pretties xox**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again my lovely readers! I know it's been awhile and I want to apologize for waiting this long! As some of you know, (I tried to private message everyone!) a few months ago I was involved in a car accident when a drunk driver slammed into my car head on, knocking me into a coma. I have been in the hospital ever since in recovery. With all of that mess going on I was thus unable to update! But I'm back and really excited to continue on stronger than ever. Because of my extended absence, I made this chapter extra long! Or..at least it felt like I did. I hope you all like it, not a whole lot happens in this chapter but I can't have major action in every chapter, gotta let the story develop. Anyways without further adieu, I give you chapter 6 of the NCB-009. **

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**CPOV**

My eyes flew open seconds before the alarm began to blare. Moving the covers aside, I smoothed my hand over the bandage. Lifting it slowly, I peaked beneath the gauze and sure enough, it hand't been a dream. Running along the side of my hip was a long tender pink scar surrounded by blue and purple bruises that disrupted my otherwise milky white skin. The pain when I walked had reduced down to a dull ache and not as excruciating as the previous night, however if anything touched it, I was back to square one, doubled over on the ground with my face in the carpet.

Walking into my closet, I lazily threw on a long sleeve navy Hermès cotton tee, charcoal jeans, black ankle boots, and a grey Armani jacket. Thankfully, the weather had been cold so I had no qualms with covering up head to toe. My wrists and ankles both sported bright red marks from the cuffs and light purple bruises dusted the length of my arms and side from where Hodge had poked and prodded. It seemed he kept working, even after I had passed out. Convoluted bastard. Grabbing my foundation and sponge. I made quick work of covering up my wrist marks, just to be safe.

As alluring as the idea of burying my weak and fragile body under a mountain of fuzzy blankets sounded, being out of the house and in school seemed much more appealing than waiting for Valentine to have another episode. Convincing him to allow me to go to school had been less than easy. He had been set on keeping me home a few days, not wanting to take any chances, but upon seeing how much better I seemed this morning, I was able to sway his opinion.

I dragged my feet across the pavement, forcing myself to put on a brave face and deal with school for the day. Isabelle and Magnus had tried multiple times to hang out and talk but I brushed them off lightly. Too much was already running through my mind to be able to stop and deal with high school drama. They caught on quick and let me be. Even Jace had got the message when I completely tuned out his daily tease. During lunch I sat down at the end of the table, away from the group, staring absentmindedly at a weeping willow outside the window. Its branches hung low to the ground, almost reaching the dirt. The limbs swayed rhythmically in the wind as rain pelted hard against them, but the tree never faltered or gave way. It was solid. There had to be some kind of inner meaning to that right?

_Whatever_.

Jace sat across the table a few seats down. I could feel his stare burning a hole into my skull as I stared out the window, but paid him no attention. To my left Magnus and Izzy chatted loudly, over the voices of the cafeteria. "Clary…Clary? Hey, did you hear me?" Izzy's voice interrupted my thoughts. "What, hm?" I snapped my head up, glancing over to them. "Sorry..uhh, bad headache, I think I'm just gonna head over to the library..it's too loud in here." I stated, grabbing my bag and heading towards the other side of campus before Izzy could even finish her thought. "Oh..uh okay then.." I heard her say.

The voices in the room seemed to rise louder and louder as I fought my way through the impenetrable crowd. I had originally intended to head over to the library but was surprised when I found myself trudging through the pouring rain towards the old weeping willow behind the school. My slender frame easily slipped through the curtain of lavender willow branches and under its comforting protection from the storm. Shrugging off my sopping rain coat, I hopped up onto a low lying branch and leaned against the trunk, letting out a deep sigh I had been holding in all day.

Resting against the thick trunk I found myself starting to relax for the first time all day. This spot was peaceful and made me think of Denmark where we had lived for nearly three months during the summer before my thirteenth birthday. It was one of the few locations my father had been truly relaxed. A few weeks preceding my birthday interpol showed up and burned our home to the ground, causing Valentine back on the run. Shaking my mind clear of the saddening thoughts I focused my attention down at the spot where my scar laid beneath the fabric.

Lifting up my shirt slightly, I ran my fingers along the scar. People don't just miraculously heal from a knife wound. they don't just…glow. Its a known fact! There had to be some sort of logical reasoning behind the phenomena. The only time I ever believed in magic was when I was 5 years old and dreamed of Angels; even _that_ small fantasy had been squashed quickly by Valentine.

I moaned out in pain as I accidentally applied too much pressure in one spot. "Ow! Dammit" I seethed through gritted teeth. My eyes watered and my breathing picked up as I struggled to get it under control. Thankfully after a fews minutes, the pain subsided and I was able to shove myself off the branch to grab my things, class was in a few minutes and I would probably have to run to make it in time. Nearly a minute later I heard the second bell ring. _Shit, I'm late _ I silently chided myself as I rushed across the lawn toward C-Block

**JPOV**

My hands balled into fists at my sides as I remembered Clary weaving mindlessly through the crowd. She had been off all day today and it had obviously taken a considerable toll on my mood. Earlier when she had asked about some papers for our chemistry assignment, I had made a joking remark about her finding any excuse to talk to me. Okay..so maybe I had been an dick, but she usually just laughs them off, or if I'm lucky she'll rebuttal with some smart ass comment. My little firecracker. but today, she had snatched the paper out of my hands and shoved right on by. She wasn't angry, or even the least bit annoyed. She was… indifferent. My mouth curved down in dismay at the thought.

"Baby, whats wrong" Kaelie, my flavor of the week, murmured as her hands explored beneath my shirt. I'd snuck into a broom closet for a quick fuck, hoping to brighten my mood. Suffice to say, it didn't work. I couldn't stop thinking about _her._ "Not feeling it today." I replied flatly, pulling my pants up and zipping them in one swift move. "You're going to be late for class" I added sharply while looking down at my watch.

"Since when do you care if we're late for class" she purred in an act of seduction. It failed miserably. I had once found that voice sexy and seductive, but now. Well, now it was just plain annoying. I refused to acknowledge even the slightest thought of Clary being the reason behind it. She couldn't be, there was simply no way. End of story.

"Goodbye Kaelie" I smirked, disentangling myself from her grasp. _Damn slut_. Wait, since when do I care whether they're sluts? They're my ideal woman! Love 'em and leave 'em, that's been my motto for years.

I shook my head as I stepped out into the crowded hallway, running a hand through my mess of blond curls while looking around for Izzy. As the corridors thinned, I noticed a certain red head walking slowly towards her next class. At first glance, she looked fine, but the longer I stared, the more I noticed the pain she attempted to cover. And quite well at that. "Hey firecracker" I whispered, wrapping my arms around her slender waist, as I approached her from behind. Her body tensed immediately before twisting around in my grasp. My mind wasn't even able to register what was about to happen before I felt her fist connect firmly with my jaw.

"Jace!" she gasped in shock as I stumbled back a few steps. Girl packed a real punch. "God dammit Jace! You scared the hell out of me!" she continued while stepping forward to inspect my face. "I'm…I'm so sorry.." she murmured. She was so close, close enough to feel her breath against my chest. I fought the urge to grab her waist and close the distance between us. Her pale slender fingers brushed lightly along the length of my jaw, sending shivers all along my body. Closing my eyes, I reached up and grasped her wrist lightly, relishing in the feel of her touch against my skin. Clary's breath caught in her throat before she wrenched her hand free.

Her full rosy lips parted into a smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Something was bothering her. I stared down at her face wordlessly, studying her expression. She fidgeted uncomfortably under my stare but I didn't falter. "I'm sorry.." she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. My eyes scanned the whole of her body, checking for any sort of injury but of course, she was covered practically head to toe. I noticed the left side of her face had been given a bit of attention from her concealer while the rest of her face remained unpainted. It struck my strange but I didn't think too much of it. Girls.

"Here let me take your stuff, it looks heavy" I changed the subject quickly in attempt to lighten the mood while snatching her books and bag before she could offer protest. Her face wrinkled into the cutest expression as she tried to figure out why I was being so nice. "Thanks.." she said finally as we walked down the hallway. God, what was I getting myself into.

**CPOV:**

As we walked down the hallway the only sound heard was the shuffle of our feet against the floor. You'd think it was awkward but it wasn't, we had slipped into something more of a comfortable silence. I felt horrible for my reaction to him grasping my wrist. It wasn't his fault they were so tender from the cuffs. I longed to tell him everything and collapse in his embrace, but I knew it would do more harm than good. Looking up I dared a peak at his face. I'm not going to lie, Jace was good looking, if not the hottest guy I've ever seen. But that still didn't change the fact that 1.) He was an ass and 2.) My father would never allow it. As if he could sense it, Jace glanced down at me, catching my stare. _Dammit! _I looked away quickly.

"See something you like there firecracker?" he smirked. My face instantly colored and I fought the urge to burry my head in my hands. See what I mean? Asshole. I rolled my eyes and gave no response as we neared my class. I was soo late but I no longer cared.

"Ms. Fray, so nice of you to join us" Ms. Bargonas said sarcastically as I stepped into the classroom. My face reddened in embarrassment as the entire class turned their attention to me. "Sorry Misses B! It was might fault I held her hostage in the hallway" Jace poked his head into the room, earning a few gasps and whispers from students. He smiled adorably at the teacher, hoping to ease her mood. She looked at him sternly for a moment before breaking into a slight smile and waving him off.

"Go to your class Mr. Heronalde, and please refrain from keeping my students out of class from now on" she quipped. "Come along Miss Fray, say your goodbyes." I giggled softly at the exchange, thankful that she seemed to let my mishap go. "Goodbye Jace…thank you" I breathed while staring at the ground. He lifted my chin slightly to meet his gaze, "Anytime firecracker" he smiled before his signature smirk settled back on his face. And with that, he vanished.

Turning around I walked down the rows to my assigned seat right smack dab in the middle of the room. Great. I dropped my bag at my feet, pulled out my pen, notebook, and sat down, ignoring every pair of eyes that were now trained on the mysterious girl being walked to class by the infamous Jace Heronalde. I tried to focus on what Ms. Bargonas was saying but it was hard with people openly staring and some obviously whispering about the little mishap. One girl was looking me up and down continuously as if I was some little bug munching on her sandwich. After the fourth time of her flipping her bleach dyed blonde hair over her should and smacking her overly glossy lips to turn in her seat to glare at me, I snapped. "Why don't you just take a fucking picture, it'll last longer." I deadpanned. Thankfully, Ms. Bargonas had been thoroughly engrossed in some paper on her desk and didn't notice my crude remark.

Blondie's eyes widened immediately and she snapped back around in fury. Despite my joke about her taking a photo, I actually heard a few people taking out their phones to snap a few photos. What the fuck is wrong with these kids?

The last 10 minutes of class passed by at a painfully slow rate and at three minutes to the bell I was already packed and ready to go. Ms. B had just finished assigning us homework for the day when a deafening shrill reverberated off the walls, signaling the end of class. I jumped out of my chair and flew past my classmates.

The first person I found was Izzy, or really, she found me. I felt terrible about moping around all morning and desperately needed to apologize. "Clary!" She called out excitedly while people parted to let her through. "Come on, we have a LOT to talk about!" she called while grabbing my hand and running down the hallway. We had free period right before art so I wasn't worried about missing any classes.

"Hi Izzy, wait I need, I need to apologize" I yelled over the roar of everyone shuffling around to their next classes. She waved her hand in the air dismissively.

"Don't sweat it Clary, I know you were just having a rough morning." She whipped her head around flashing me a dazzling smile. "But you still like hanging out with me…right?" her face suddenly clouding with worry.

My eyes widened instantly as my arms flew around her neck, squishing her in a very Izzy-like hug. "What-Yes! Of course I do! I was afraid you would be mad with me." Izzy simply laughed before grabbing my hand again and pulling me into an empty room at the end of the hall.

"Great! Now that that's all settled, Sit! And tell me everything I'm hearing about this you and Jace christening the C-Block hallway?!" She giggled while pointing a long manicured finger to one of the four bean bags occupying the far corner. I was pretty sure if I wasn't careful it would swallow me whole.

"Jace and I were just-WHAT?!" I paled. "We weren't, we weren't .._christening_.. the hallway" I stuttered, almost whispering that last part in embarrassment. Sinking down on the bean bag, I covered my face in my hands. "People really think that?" I said near the verge of tears.

Izzy smiled down at me reassuringly, "Clary hun, I _know_ you guys weren't doing the nasty, but you seemed to have really pissed off Kaelie. She's not dangerous, but I wouldn't go quite as far as calling her harmless." She continued while flopping down onto her own bean bag. My stomach churned and I thought I would throw up. "But forget about that, we have waaay more important things to think about! The Annual Fall Festival is tomorrow night and I still haven't figured out what to wear! Also, I'm pretty sure Ms. Fairchild is going to ask you to run the art booth. You're the obvious choice. Hmm…that's even less time. Oh! I know! If we skip last period tomorrow we might just have enough time to be dressed and ready half an hour early! I live right by the school so it'd only take like 5 minutes to get here." She grinned, satisfied with her quick solution. I stared at her in amazement and slight confusion.

"Woah, slow down there Izzy, what festival?! I don't even know if I'm going." her face fell and I felt immediately guilty. "I'm sorry, it's just..my dad doesn't really like me going to school events unless it's strictly academic..he's he's just overprotective I guess." I continued while picking at the frayed edges of my t-shirt. She stared at me as if I had just told her that her pet cat had died. But then, the funniest thing happened. Her lips curled up into a devilish grin.

"What if it _was_ ..'strictly academic'" she replied excitedly. I glanced at her in disbelief. This oughta be good.

"What do you mean?"

"Just…trust me" she winked while standing up and straightening out her skirt. "Come on, we're gonna be late."

**VPOV:**

I clenched my fists together, pacing back and forth behind the newest recruit as his fingers flashed across the keyboard, trying desperately to impress yours truly. "Nothing has come up on the radar's. The closest agent of SD-13, as far as we can tell, is in the California sector…Sir" he added quickly. I relaxed slightly, but it still didn't settle the uneasiness that coursed through my veins. California was just down the coast."Very well." and with that I left, shaking my head as I made my way towards Hodges lab in the basement. "HODGE!" My booming voice echoed off the empty concrete walls.

"Sir, I found some very interesting leukocytes in young Jocelyn's blood. I don't think I've ever seen this particular strain in-"

"Do NOT refer to her as YOUNG. JOCELYN." I spat venomously. "Her name is Clarissa and you will refer to her as such." I finished with unsettling calmness. Vials and scientific instruments rattled noisily as Hodge nervously fiddled around.

"Yes o-of course sir…As I was saying! I have never before seen microorganisms like these within a genus, or any particular species for that matter. This specific strain is highly hypothetical and rarely brought up even in theory." Hodge's voice rose in excitement as he babbled on. "Scientist, in the ET-X department of the CIA ,have not even attempted further research because of its astronomical complexities. It makes our young Clary all the more interesting. I only caught it after accidentally spilling some water into the scope and.."

"-Hodge, English!" I demanded. He looked up at me as if realizing for the first time that I _wasn't _a scientist, such as him. "Ahh yes sir, of course" he replied quickly. "Basically, Clary's DNA is a mystery. There really is no way to explain it. Scientifically, she's not even human at all, well I mean of course she's human hehe I mean she's..she's Clary but her DNA and the way her genetic makeup functions..it's just not how a normal homo sapien sapien functions."

I frowned, turning to pace back and forth against the cold stone flooring. It was the same answer he had been hearing for the better part of 16 years. "And theres..nothing? You can make of this?" I grumbled annoyed. Hodge looked at me in concentration. "Why don't i just show you" he responded. Thinking of nothing else to say, I nodded, walking closer to the lab table and leaning over. "Well?"

"Right, okay so if you look up at that screen, you will see the red blood cells, white blood cells, and of course the platelets. These are all normal, she has a remarkable white blood cell count which would explain why she does not ever get sick. Now, this all seems normal, however-" he paused running over the edge of the room and clicking off the lights. Immediately a set of black lights illuminated over them "When you turn off the lights, and observe the sample under Ultra Violet illumination, you will see an entirely different set of organisms moving around within the strip…See this would be normal if they turned green or even blue, but they are violet, and various shades of gold. It's just unheard of!"

I frowned as I watched the screen completely change and different cells i hadn't even seen begun to illuminate. "What is the meaning of this!" I yelled, while keeping my eye on the screen. "I…I am not quite sure sir…these particular microorganisms do not even exist! They don't have names and are of no certain taxonomic class. All that I can say for certain sir is that you're daughter is not a regular girl….I'm not even sure if she is of human origin at all!"

My hand flew across the table in anger, causing several glass vials to shatter against the concrete. Ten years of research and we were still exactly where we started. I had been about to scream a bit more at Hodge for his incompetence when the familiar shrill of my cover cellphone rang. Taking a moment to compose myself, I stepped out of the lab and began walking upstairs before answering the call. It was Clary's school. My face hardened into a frown.

"This is Valentine" I answered in a smooth confident tone.

"Hello Mr. Fray, this is Mrs. Fairchild, Clarissa's Art teacher. I'm calling in regards to the Fall Festival tomorrow evening." A gentle voice rippled through the phone line.

* * *

**Awh, isn't Mrs. Fairchild great? We'll have to wait until next time to see if she actually gets Valentine to let Clary go. **

**In case anyone is wondering: No, Mrs. Fairchild is not going to be Clary's mother or anything like that. I'm still undecided as to if I'm going to introduce Jocelyn into the story or not. What do you all think?**

**Also, I was reading through my older chapters and it was brought to my attention that I made a mistake. When I mentioned football a while back, I was not talking about American Football, I was referring to what Americans call Soccer. So yeah, I'm sorry about that, I will refer to it as soccer now so I don't confuse anyone. **

**Love you all! As always, leave a little note in the review box, I love to hear from all of you and see what you have to say! **

**XOX - UnpublishedDreamer**


	7. Chapter 7

Guess who's back! I know I know, I disappeared and abandoned you like a very shitty friend. you all should hate me. Even I hate me for that. On the bright side, I got the whole festival in one chapter (which honestly I thought was really fucking impossible.) There was a lot of writer's block, a shit-ton of rewrites, crying, and even some rage. But here we are at chapter 7.

Notice: As of right now I do not have a beta, **I'm looking for a beta** to help me with polishing chapters, boucing idea's off of, and dialogue. If any of you lovely readers are experienced and interested, please send me a message! :D

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own TMI, all credit belongs to Cassie…blah blah you know the drill.

**HUUUGE shoutout to AnnaW14** for helping me edit this chapter! You are truly amazing.

* * *

**CPOV**

The air shifted as I stepped through the foyer. Something was off, I could feel it. Miss Fairchild's reassurances echoed faintly in the back of my mind but I remained, as always, the skeptic. Valentine being enthusiastic about anything, let alone a simple town festival, seemed like a foreign concept.

"Clarissa, dear." His voice sent chills down my spine.

"Yes Sir" I replied hesitantly, walking through the large marble archways and into his study.

There in the center of the room, he sat behind a large oak desk with his back facing me, "I received a call from your teacher today about a Festival." he continued

I swallowed, nodding my head. "She mentioned it"

"Obviously Landon and the others would frighten the townsfolk if I assigned them to the booth with you. But they _will, _however, be watching. You are expected to do _everything_ your teacher requests. My reputation in this town will in no way be tarnished by your insubordination. Am I clear?"

My jaw dropped but I recovered quickly and nodded. "Y-yes, of course. Thank you"

"In addition to that, you should know that I am flying out to Moscow in exactly 3 hours with Hodge. During my absence I will be placing Landon in charge. You are to do _exactly_ as he says. I have left him a list with careful instructions as to your wellbeing. I am trusting you to be a responsible young adult this weekend. Do not disobey me."

"Yes father…" I mumbled politely while standing as to leave.

His iron grip closed over my wrist so tightly as he pulled me half over the desk, that I struggled not to cry out in anguish. "Ahh! Please, I'm sorry I'm sorry. Valentine please, I didn't mean it" I sniffled as realization dawned upon me and my mistake. "Please sir, it was a mistake, forgive me Valentine, please" I begged. "I forgot that I was not playing our cover and mistakenly referred to you in such an informal tone."

His eyes burn with fury as he ignores my frantic pleas. My body is suddenly wrenched to the side, knocking into the solid wood bookshelves. It rattles loudly as some of the books fall to the ground and a vase shatters to my left. My heart is pounding in my ears as I watch him cross the office to where I lay sprawled against the wall. Blood has already begun to trickle down the side of my face. He reaches my side quickly and grabs a chunk of my disheveled curls. My scream wracks the halls of our house when he pulls my body half up and leans in close

"See to it that you don't make the same mistake, _Clarissa_" He spits my name, dropping my hair and shoving me to the floor. "Leave. I'm done speaking to you."

The first thing I noticed the next morning was the blinding light flooding through my open window shades. It was my first "sunny morning" in Newport. I squinted from the painful migraine pulsing through my head, burying my face further into my comforter. Minutes later the alarm clock blared at full volume from my side table. A single slender arm shot out from beneath the covers in attempt to silence the disturbance. By then, the morning grogginess had left me and I frowned at my failed attempts at a few more minutes of peace.

Sitting up against the lavender headboard, I grabbed my phone and began scrolling through the messages. There were two from Magnus and one from Izzy.

**Magnus: **New shimmer liner arrived last night, bout to sneak attack Jace.

I shook my head with a laugh, opening his second message. It was a photo- a selfie- of himself grinning mischievously at the camera and a sleeping Jace in the background. God even in sleep that boy was gorgeous. There was a certain softness to his face as he slept. Angelic even, as opposed to his dark and brooding demeanor he usually put forth.

**Magnus: **This is so going to be worth it.

**Clary: **You're going to regret this Mags, don't do it! He's going to kill you!

I responded as fast as my fingers would type. The typing bubble popped up on his end, but a message was never sent. I could only assume the beast had awoken. Flipping out of our chat, I clicked on Izzy's message.

**Isabelle: **Whaddup biotch! Found your fit. It's peerrrfect :D

I smiled stupidly down at the screen. Izzy was like the sister slash best friend I'd never had. She was loud and exciting but had this uncanny ability to know when to be quiet and gentle. She was intuitive like that. It was almost hard to believe I'd only known her for little over a week or so.

"oh Izzy! you didn't have to, I could have found something" I replied, suddenly feeling guilty that she had spent money on me.

**Isabelle: **Nonsense! I already bought the dress and You. Will. Love. It!

My fingers hovered over the text pad. I have some money saved up in the space beneath the floorboards. I could pay her back. Right as I was about to reply, another message popped up.

**Isabelle**: And NO, you cannot pay me back!

She sent over a picture of the dress and the grin spread further across my face. It was made of a gorgeous cream gauzy material with long fitted sleaves. Designer for sure. The neckline was questionable, but that was the least of my worries, I could deal with a little cleavage for one day.

"LOVE!" I replied in all caps.

**Isabelle: **Knew you would, see you in class babes XXX

I happily skipped over to my closet and picked out a pair of maroon skinny jeans and a thin grey sweater top paired with a white jacket and black scarf. Placing them on the circular dresser in the middle of the closet, I ran to the bathroom to take care of my hair and makeup before changing.

After finishing my normal routine, the first thing I grabbed for was the concealer. My very best friend. Over the years, I had become somewhat of a pro at hiding little (and big) marks here and there. Since I was going to be in a shirt with long sleeves, I didn't even bother with my wrists, focusing most of my attention on the neck and face area.

The true test of my artistic skills was going to be the mark on my forehead. Last night I had washed and bandaged the gash that centered the right side of my forehead knowing that the next morning it would be hell to hide and explain. Now, pealing away the bandage, I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing myself for the worst. But the worst never came. The bandage was clean, the wound barely visible. The area tender and bruising lightly, but other than that, perfectly fine.

Weird.

Shrugging away the unanswered questions, I quickly ran some frizz control through my hair to soften the curls and pulled them up into a high ponytail, not wanting to have to deal with that problematic undertaking. I had just thrown on some charcoal flats before Landon called.

"Ms. Fray, the car is waiting."

"Coming!" I replied, taking the stairs two at a time.

When I arrived at the school it was like a massive party. Students crowded the front lawns and courtyards, laughing and dancing around happily. Some had even dressed up in costumes that represented the autumn season. The cheer squad had on fringe boots, their uniforms, and matching Native American headdresses. A group of guys crowding the picnic tables wore full on turkey fat suits and squawked around on top of the tables and benches, causing many bystanders to laugh at their display. It was madness! Complete and utter chaos! But I loved every minute of it.

The car pulled to a stop right at the front and I scrambled out quickly. "Goodbye boys, I'll see you at the festival" I called cheerfully before making my way across the lawn to the steps where Izzy and the rest were hanging out. On the way over Landon had agreed to let me stay at the school and get ready with Izzy for the festival providing I answered his calls the moment I received them. It was a fair compromise, one that I jumped to accept.

"Claaarr-eeeeeee!" Izzy's high-pitched voice slurred from across the lawn as she staggered towards me, causing many heads to turn in my direction. I smiled shyly and waved while approaching the group. Standing around I noticed were Magnus, Maia, Aline, Jordan, and two other boys I assumed were from the soccer team, but no Jace. It wasn't that I was looking for him. I wasn't. I shouldn't. I'm not.

But I totally was.

"What's going on?" I said, gesturing to the madness.

Izzy immediately enveloped me in to one of her bone crushing hugs. "My God Clary, you look so fucking hot!" she whisper-shouted into my ear. I doubt anyone within a ten-foot radius hadn't heard her.

"Are you drunk?" I asked. It wasn't even 8 o'clock!

"The Fall Festival is practically a national holiday here." Magnus answered, flashing me a wide smile. "Lovely as always darling." he kissed my cheek.

"I see you're still alive and well" I smirked, recalling his early morning escapade.

"Yes well, not everyone has a boyfriend as loving and devoted as my Alec" he sighed dreamily while walking up the steps and into the school hallway. Izzy giggled, looping her arm through mine.

"Clary you should have seen it! Jace was livid! Poor thing couldn't figure out how to get it all off. I almost felt bad. Almost.."

"You guys are insane! I can't believe you're both alive right now. Where is he?"

Izzy waved her hand dismissively. "Probably off banging some slut in a sore attempt to reclaim his masculinity" They both laughed. My face fell. Okay, so it wasn't exactly a secret that Jace was pretty much a man-whore. Not even close. But still, I had liked to imagine that I had some sort of effect on him.

Apparently not.

"Ha..right" I laughed half-heartedly but nobody noticed.

"So, I have all of our stuff in my car. The bathroom up on the third floor near the library is almost always empty and unused since nobody ever goes up there. Meet us at 12 o'clock sharp! Okay?"

I found Izzy's enthusiasm infectious; she was like a glowing ball of happiness and perfection 100% of the time, even drunk. What a bitch. But still, I found myself nodding in agreement. "Perfect!" she clapped. "See you at lunch" I watched as she skipped down the hallway into the arms of a waiting Simon before disappearing into her class.

Focusing on school was an impossible task with all the excitement for Fall Festival. Not one student was paying attention during the lectures. Even the teachers seemed anxious for the day to end. Thus, the morning passed by in a blur and before long I found myself sitting in front of the vanity while Izzy attacked my unruly mane with her curling iron and army of hair products.

"Your hair really is the most envious shade of red." Izzy remarked while I fiddled with the white satin fabric of the dressing robe. I smiled appreciatively at her.

"Mmphh. Yaass, I know right?" Magnus half moaned through a mouthful of hot cheetos from his criss-cross position atop the counter."And can we please talk about the disaster that was the cheer teams Indian costumes? I mean…they DO know that only the chief wears the full headdress, right? They can't ALL be a chief!" he huffed in annoyance.

"Well Aline is their captain, what were you expecting?" Izzy quipped as we all laughed.

"The ignorance!" He cried, pumping his bag in the air for dramatic effect.

"The fringe booties weren't all that bad." I giggled, trying my hardest to find something polite to say.

"Oh Clary, you're entirely too sweet! Don't worry, we'll corrupt you in no time!" Isabelle nudged my shoulder with her hip while fastening the last pin curl in place.

"Unless someone else gets to it first." Magnus murmured teasingly before stuffing his face with another handful of Cheetos.

"Magnus!" "Ohmygod!" Izzy and I both exclaimed at the same time.

"Oh don't give me that! Anyone with a pair of eyes can see the painfully obvious attraction between Jace and our New York angel!" he shouted. We were both laughing by now, the embarrassment of his remark already forgotten.

**JPOV****:**

The morning of the Fall Festival had started on a bad note, and only seemed to be spiraling downward from there. When I woke up to Magnus hovering over me with one of his damned glitter eye pencils, I just about ripped him in half. It took almost half an hour to get the irritating product off my eyes, and even then some stray shimmering flecks still stuck to the corners of my eyes. Needless to say, I was livid. So mad, in fact, that I decided to skip morning classes altogether. No way was I walking in to school with fucking eyeliner on. Robert tried to talk me out of it, but he wasn't too upset. My grades were already perfect; skipping one day wasn't going to do any real damage.

Izzy and Magnus had wisely left for school by the time I walked in to the kitchen at 7:30 o'clock. After rubbing my eyes raw I didn't want to see either one of them anytime soon.

"I'll be back later for the festival honey, have a good day! Love you!" Maryse, my mother, called before rushing out the front door.

With the house now all to myself, I took advantage of the empty control room. I had been wanting to do some research on Clary for awhile and now finally had the opportunity. The control room was like this huge room of secret files and computers with access to every major (and minor) intelligence group in the world. Usually, it was an off-limits zone to my siblings and I, but with Maryse and Robert gone so much, we had learned to hack the security code ages ago. If Maryse and Robert really didn't want us in there, they wouldn't have taught us kids how to hack. At least that's how we all saw it.

As soon as the screens powered up my fingers flew across the keyboard with determination, searching for any and everything I could find on Clarissa Fray.

Absolutely nothing turned up.

And when I say nothing, I don't mean "nothing unusual." I mean _nothing_. Not a single result. No Facebook Page, no Twitter account, no previous address, no known address, no pictures, phone number, family, nothing. For nearly three hours I scoured the viral networks for any mention of my fiery young redhead and came up with zilch.

"Why are you demolishing the new girls privacy?"

An unexpected voice jolted me out of my trance. "Jesus-fucking-Christ Alec!" I jumped, almost dropping my now stale popcorn.

"Well I waited almost four hours before interrupting this little operation of yours." He shrugged innocently before flopping down into the chair beside me. "Find anything good" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and swiping my popcorn.

"Nope." I replied, slouching further into my chair.

"You tried the public records?"

"Yup."

"Federal Archives?"

"Ah-huh."

"CIA?"

"Nothing."

"SD-13?"

"Yeah right. Not without Robert's key at least." I replied giving him an exasperated look. He shrugged, swiveling around in his own chair. My face hardened as I tried to think of what else I could do. This girl was a ghost, a literal ghost!

"Did you try that other name? The one the middle aged woman called her by?" he asked, popping a stale kernel into his mouth.

Silence. I turned to him in confusion.

"Come on Jace you have to remember, you remember everything!" He continued. "The creepy woman who grabbed Clary at the mall and made you go all protective older boyfriend. Morgan or something"

"Morgenstern? But Clary… Fuck!" I exclaimed, turning back to the computer.

Google and the usual search engines didn't bring up much besides some conspiracy websites which mentioned a child that had been abducted 12 years ago by her biological father. He was on the run from the government and they have yet to find her. It didn't say much other than the girl's name, Clarissa Morgenstern. I was hoping for at least a description of the girl or even some defining characteristics but nothing popped up.

It was when I started digging into the Darknet and CIA classifieds that I finally started getting some more information. A man named Valentine Morgenstern, the child's father, presumably, was a very, very wanted man. Markers popped up all over the globe where they had tracked him right before he disappeared again. Basically the man was a criminal mastermind with a knack for vanishing. At the moment they had no location but assumed somewhere either in Russia or the Continental US. The list of criminal activity went on and on, anything from petty theft, murder, to even infiltrating top government facilities. One thing however, that seemed to jump out, was the repeated (and failed) attempts on the governments side to recover something Valentine possessed, code named as the NCB-009?

"Hey Alec, isn't this an SD-13 code? What's an NCB-009?"

"It's definitely them, but I've never heard of that one." He replied from his own pile of files.

"Seems like they really want whatever it is that this guy Valentine has. Look here, 137 different attempts to try and recover it. All failed. And that's only the ones they have on record."

"Damn." Alec sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes in frustration. "Jace look they didn't mention anything about Clary specifically, so this could just be a bunch of nonsense. There's no description, photo, anything. For all we know this girl is a 6 foot blonde or 23 years old. It was 12 years go. We've already missed set-up for the Festival, it's going to start soon and the entire soccer team is expected to be there. That includes you Mr. Team Captain, we'll finish this later."

Checking the clock I realized how much time we had actually spent down here. 2:45 PM it read, 7 hours.

Well Shit.

**CPOV****:**

Izzy had spent another hour styling my hair before deeming it 'effortless perfection.' She had somehow managed to get my unruly hair into soft ringlets before pinning them all up with only two chopsticks into a trendy messy bun. I hadn't minded, considering I had my sketchbook and pencil to keep me occupied. It was when Magnus demanded to paint my nails that things got complicated. "Maagggss, my nails are fine" I had complained.

"Clary! You don't even have any polish on!" he had replied in a horrified manner.

"I'm doing you makeup next anyway so you'll need to release the sketchpad" Izzy said, hand on hip with the other outstretched, waiting for my book. In the end I of course gave in and Magnus began painting my nails a dusty rose while Izzy launched into her makeup case.

Magnus had just finished my nails when a soft knock sounded from the other side of the bathroom door. Izzy glanced up puzzled as Magnus flew from his seat. "That's for me! Be back in a minute ladies!" he grinned. We both laughed, he and Alec were so in love it was almost sickening.

"Good grief, those two can't go an hour without sticking their tongues down each others throats" she scoffed humorously while cleaning my face with a cloth. "I swear- Oh!" she gasped, snatching her hands away from my face. "Oh God….Clary are you…are you okay? What?" My face wrinkled in confusion as I glanced in the mirror. Horror filled my face as I stared back at the ugly monster that reared back. The bruises. They had faded considerably since this morning but still covered a substantial portion of my face.

"It's ...it's nothing" I whispered, staring at my hands. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, threatening to overflow down my burning cheeks.

"Clary…that is _not _nothing!" she glared, crossing her arms across her chest. "Tell me what's going on, right now. Don't think I haven't noticed your frequent 'accidents'. I need to know so that I can help you." her voice softened as she reached out to grasp my arm.

My reaction was less than graceful as I groaned inwardly at the pressure she applied to one of the fresh bruises. She snatched her hand away immediately, backing up a few steps to look me over.

"Izzy, wait...you don't understand."

Her hands flew to the robe, releasing the sash and exposing the fresh bruising that marked every inch of my abdomen and arms. She gasped, horrified as I buried my face into my hands. It was all over now. Quiet sobs racked my hunched frame as I sobbed silently into the soft satin robe.

Her arms enveloped my frail body as she brought me into a gentle hug, being careful not to squeeze too hard. I cried, hard. "Clary...Clary look at me," she said after a few moments, lifting my chin "Babe, you've got to tell me who's doing this. Was it Aline? One of the guys? Jace and Alec can take care of them, you don't have to worry about it."

"N-no" I sniffled, "It's much more complicated than that.." my head lowered.

"Your father…" she whispered after a few moments, taking my silence as confirmation. "Hey, it's going to be okay. My parents, they know people, we can help you. Alright? You don't even have to go back there ever."

"No!" My head snapped up. "Please don't, You don't understand. You've seen my father's men, I can't just walk away. Izzy you have to _promise_ you won't tell your parents, please. H-he was just having a rough night, it's fine, he's out of town for the weekend anyway so I'm alright, really." I begged.

She bit her lip. I could tell she was not a fan of this plan. My shoulders slumped.

"Okay..." My face relaxed

"…but! You have to promise me that you will tell me if he does something like this _Ever again. _Understood?"

"O-okay"

She smiled warmly, "Perfect. Now, lets get you all glamorized before Magnus gets back."

Telling Izzy had turned out to be more liberating than I thought. It felt…good, to have someone to talk to about this stuff, someone to confide in. As persistent and annoying as she could be, I was pleasantly surprised that she left it alone and didn't push for more information.

Magnus walked back into the room just as Izzy had concealed the last of the marks on my forehead. With my hair styled, makeup finished, and nails dried, the only thing left to do was to change into my clothes.

"Does it fit?!" Izzy screeched from outside the bathroom stall.

"Calm down you maniac" Magnus chided from her side. "Clary hon, does the dress fit?!" he asked, in a slightly less, but still hysterical tone.

To say the dress fit perfectly was an understatement. It was more than perfect. The vintage gauzy cream material was such a drastic change from the usual leather and knits that filled my closet. It made me feel feminine and pretty. The billowing sleeves stopped at my wrist with fitted cuffs. The skirt stopped just below my mid thigh, causing the soft material to brush against my bare legs whenever I moved. It was elegant and airy and everything I wished to be.

Both Izzy and Magnus cooed approvingly when I finally exited the stall.

"I knew it!" Izzy said as Mags clapped excitedly before they pulled me to the side and began a frenzy of slipping jewelry onto my fingers, wrist, and neck, a pair of small caramel colored flats on my feet as well as a thin brown belt that accentuated in my waist.

"Are you sure I won't get cold" I asked as they continued to style me.

"Nah it's wicked warm out today, but I have a jean jacket for you just in case. Awww kitten you look lovely!" Izzy gushed. "Now go! Ms. Fairchild is probably wondering where you are!" she said while shooing me out of the room. "We'll meet up with you once everything is all set up."

I needed no further encouragement to escape the intoxicating fumes of hairspray and perfume. Making my way down the stairs and across the street to where the festival was being set up, I remembered to swipe on a coat of some light pink lip-gloss Izzy had slipped into my purse.

"Clarissa, doll you look positively radiant! Thank you so much for agreeing to help out today, we could really use your artistic ability." Ms. Fairchild's always cheery voice called as I neared the booth.

"Anything to help" I replied "Where do you need me?"

She smiled a genuine grin before handing me a box of various paints and brushes. "The boys have taken care of the tent and tables, so all we need to do now is set up the supplies. I chose to display some of your portraits, I do hope that's alright with you?" she asked before taking off a tarp from a few paintings that leaned against the far wall.

"Of course, no problem." I grinned glancing behind my back to see that she had chosen a watercolor of lilies I had painted laying against a boulder with the river flowing as a background. I had felt so proud of it when she appraised my work. Among some others I spotted the portrait of Angelic Jace to which she placed right on the front of the table with a little note card stating the artists name and year; _Clarissa Fray, Junior. _I cringed inwardly at the label. People were going to think I was another one of the many love struck followers of Jace.

"Okay dear, I'll be back in a little bit to check on you, Andrea will come to take the next shift at 6:30, and prices are listed on the backs of each painting. Yours are only for display unless you would like to sell them. It's completely up to you. Here's my cell phone number in case something happens" She said, scribbling a series of numbers onto an ink pad and handing it over.

Over the next hour or so I had started to really get into a good rhythm. I found managing the booth to be relatively easy and even fun. Some would stop to admire the art and inquire about prices, but it was mostly young kids coming to have their faces painted. Every once in a while I had a soccer jock from the booth across the way come over and try to convince me to participate in their upcoming wet t-shirt contest, of which I declined. Seven times.

Presently, I sat in concentration, painting an intricate fire-breathing dragon along the face of an adorable young boy named Max. He had run up to the booth practically jumping on me in his desperate plea to have me draw a dragon upon his face.

"Of course I can draw a dragon on your face!" I had exclaimed, matching his enthusiasm.

"With FIRE?!" He raised his voice in disbelief.

"With fire!" I winked while placing him up onto the high stool.

Over the next few minutes I learned that Max was quite the chatterbox. He was exactly 5 and 2 quarters and loved dragons, stars, and manga. His favorite thing to do, however, was play soccer with his older brother.

"He's soooooo cool" Max gushed, struggling to keep still as I started on the dragon tail. "He never misses the goal and people cheer lots of loud for him at games. But after he wins, lots of girls try to kiss him and its so gross. When I become gooder like him, I'm never ever letting them girls kiss me. Only mom and maybe you, MAYBE…I haven't decided yet"

I laughed loudly at Max's comment as he continued talking. It saddened me slightly when I realized that the painting was nearly finished and he would have to leave soon. I dabbed on the last of the yellow, orange, and red spots to add detail to the fire lining his temple and forehead. His reaction to the finished product, however, wiped away any trace of sadness. "OOHHMMYYYGOOOSSHH! BYECLARYTHANKYOUSOMUCH." and he ran off, jumping around, imitating a dragon, before pouncing on a man in a suit talking with another man at the science and technology booth, his father I assumed.

The festival had gotten quite crowded now as people gathered along the roped off areas and I knew the parade would be starting any minute now. With my few minutes of free time, I plopped onto the stool and pulled out my notebook to doodle.

"Lovely work" someone commented on my current piece. "An interesting symbol, what prompted you to conjure up something so unique" a woman asked.

"Thank you, I've never seen it before, it just...came to me I suppose," I said, glancing up from the canvas to smile at the woman. My eyes were met with a pair of familiar gray eyes that focused on my own. The woman from the mall.

"Hello Clarissa, it's good to see you again."

I was frozen in place, completely caught off guard. I knew this was the moment I should have called Landon and Markus, both of whom mingled around the kettle corn cart, but I couldn't. I wouldn't put this new home I had come to love in jeopardy. I shouldn't have gotten attached, dammit. "What...what do you want" I said in a small voice, standing up from the stool and moving back a few steps.

The woman's face fell in dismay as she leaned forward, reaching out her arm. "Oh please don't be afraid, I don't want to hurt you, I only want to-"

"Don't!" I winced as her arm brushed against one of the fresh bruises. She retracted her arm instantly, as if something had burned her.

"Please give me a chance to explain myself, there are certain things you need to know. Thing's you can't possibly go through without our help, my help." the woman pressed, stepping around the table and closer. "You were never meant to live with him, we tried to protect you from him. Clary you're different, you're special. You must know that by now. Please come back with me so I can show you."

"Stop please, you should leave." I struggled to breathe. My heart raced as a subtle buzz began to hum just beneath my skin. I felt as though I could faint or explode at any moment. Something was wrong, something was very very wrong. The cut from earlier began shooting sharp pains through my head causing me to wince. The woman reached out, but never touched me. I still flinched.

"He hurt you," she whispered. It was more of a statement than a question. Like she was just coming to a realization of an obvious fact. "I swear to God Clarissa, I'm going to" she started, her voice gaining a dangerous edge it hadn't possessed before.

"Leave" A deep commanding voice suddenly answered from behind me. "You're going to leave." His presence filled my lungs as I drank in the welcome sent of pine and citrus. Leaning back against his chest, I let his strong arms rope around my shaking body. Jace. I hadn't heard or seen him walk up, but I was utterly grateful at his sudden entrance.

The woman stared at us a moment in disbelief before shaking her head and walking off. "He was never meant to find out Clarissa... I am so sorry," she whispered before disappearing into the crowd. Her words left me paralyzed.

"Are you alright?" Jace murmured softly into my ear as I struggled to control my breathing. His arms tightened around my waist protectively as I stared off at where the woman had been. No, I was definitely not alright.

"Y-yeah... fine" I croaked, glancing up at his concerned face. "I'm alright I promise" I said in a softer voice. The humming in my chest had all but died out as I began to relax again. I glanced over to the kettle corn cart where Markus and Landon were lounging lazily against some park benches. "Thank you" I pulled away, gathering up some dirtied brushes to busy myself.

"You looked like you were going to pass out…Are you sure everything's fine? This is the second time I've seen that woman harass you." Jace pressed, following my movements across the booth.

"You were gone again." I changed the conversation. He stopped mid stride, studying my face.

"I had…stuff."

My eyebrow rose. "Stuff?" I mocked. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the sparkles around your eyes now would it?" I added.

"It might" he scowled, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the table. I laughed to myself, knowing he probably had no idea how to remove eyeliner, and Magnus didn't seem to offer any help whatsoever.

"Come here" I said, pointing to my stool. He glanced up in skepticism. "You wanna get that makeup off or not wonder boy?" I answered his silent question. He moved so fast that before I could blink he was sitting on the stool, peering down at me. Even sitting down he was almost a whole head taller than me. I cursed my recessive height genes, earning a chuckle from him. "Hush you" I quipped, pulling out the makeup remover and cotton balls from a box from beneath the table.

Standing this close to Jace was nerve wracking. From afar you could plainly see how attractive he was, but up close it added new meaning to the phrase breathtaking. His hypnotizing gold eyes roamed the entirety of my face, as if he were trying to memorize every detail. "Close your eyes" I said shakily, needing him to stop looking at me like that. He did. "Thank you."

I raised my hand to his face, gently wiping away the stubborn silver flecks. A gasp escaped my lips as his hands snaked around my waist and pulled me into the space between his legs. "Jace…" I warned.

"If you fall I won't be able to catch you in time with my eyes closed" he replied innocently, settling his arms comfortably at my hips. My shoulders began to shake as I struggled to hold in my laughter, continuing to wipe away at his eyes. In truth, the liner had come off within two strokes, but I reveled in the feeling of his body on my own way too much to let it end so quickly. I rested my left hand on his shoulder, using the other to wipe gentle strokes against the lids of his eyes. It was so intimate, I was almost afraid to stop.

"I'm surprised Magnus got this far before you woke up."

"Magnus should watch himself for the next few days." he grumbled.

"Oh the mighty wrath of Jace" I mocked in a deep voice, earning a grin from Jace.

"You better believe it" he retorted.

Turning my head to the left, I noticed for the first time, Kaelie. She stood fuming from the cheer squad's position in the parade processional. "Your girlfriend is staring at us." I whispered, turning his attention to a very red-faced cheer captain. His arms tightened around my waist, not even bothering to look at her for more than a second. A sense of happiness and pride swelled in my chest. _Stop it Clary! You can't deal with this right now._

"Lets give her something to look at then." he murmured sexily, nuzzling the crook of my neck.

"Jace, no!" I squealed as he pressed his mouth to my collarbone. My heart fluttered. He only ignored my protests, pulling me harder against his rock hard chest.

"Laugh as if I just said the funniest thing in the world." He commanded. My arms wrapped absentmindedly around his neck as I laughed dramatically.

"I can't believe you." my voice shook as I whispered into his ear.

"Is it working?" his voice vibrated through my chest.

Yes. It was definitely working… Maybe a little too well. If Kaelie hadn't been forced to lead the parade, I was almost positive she would have already marched over here and clawed my face by now. "Uhh…yeah I think you have effectively pissed off Kaelie-Fucking-Whitewillow"

"Mmm, she curses...that's hot" he smiled against my now fully flushed skin. Today was going to be a very long day.

Once the cheer squad passed by with the opening banner, the parade was actually kind of fun. My replacement finally showed up, two hours late I might add, and I was finally allowed to enjoy the Fall Festival. Being my first ever festival in, well…ever, Jace assigned himself as my guide to make sure I had as much fun with the little time we had left. We walked around the booths, stopped at every single food cart, demolished the ring toss, and had our pictures taken in the tacky Photo Booth. He said everyone had to experience the famous festival photo booth at least once in his or her lifetime.

When the strip printed Jace had snatched them out of the box before I even had a chance to see them. "Let me see!" I protested, standing up on my tiptoes to see over his arm. He handed a strip to me, placing his own in the inside pocket of his jacket. We looked cute. The first was just a generic smiling-for-the-camera shot. The next had captured Jace mid-sneeze and me with a face of shock and amusement. He didn't seem to be a fan of photo number two. The next was of course of both of us laughing hysterically. I had my head in my hands as his profile turned towards me, grinning from ear to ear. It was perfect expression, one my artist hands itched to draw. Of all of the four shots however, the last was by far my favorite. At the last second Jace had pulled me into his lap and nuzzled his face against my neck just as the flash went off. I smiled at the photo strip as we walked aimlessly through the crowd.

"This one is definitely a keeper." I smirked, pointing to the second photo. He rolled his eyes next to me in mock annoyance.

"Lets go get some cotton candy," he grumbled, ignoring my comment and steering us towards another food cart. I slipped the strip into my jacket pocket as we walked.

We had just paid when Jace's phone began to ring loudly from the back of his jean pockets. He looked at it and frowned slightly, glancing up at me and then back at the caller. "Go ahead and take it, it's fine" I smiled encouragingly.

"Are you sure? I can always-"

"No, take it." I grinned, taking a seat on an empty park bench underneath the large oak tree. "Look, I'm fine, see?"

"Okay. I'll be right back, okay?" he asked, taking my slight nod as confirmation before disappearing around one of the brick buildings.

The cotton candy tasted sweet against my taste buds. I relished in the flavor, leaning my head back to enjoy what little sun I was afforded on these rare warm days. With rain pouring down in sheets nearly 80% of the time, it really made one appreciate the few days of dry, warm weather.

"She's like 5 lbs. Just pick her up and carry her over."

The unfamiliar voices advancing towards me caught my attention. Snapping my eyes open I scanned the area. My reaction time is apparently shit because nearly seconds later my own body was ripped from the bench and surrounded multiple guys as they all hollered triumphantly.

"What the fuck! Let me GO!" I yelled, recognizing the offenders as a few guys from school. They were clearly drunk and simply laughed at my protests. "STOP it!" My voice reached a higher octave. They expected the scream I was building towards and one of them, Sebastian, clamped his large hand over my mouth. What they didn't expect however, was my sharp kick to the nearest ones jaw and another swing at the next. Both immediately released me and crumpled to the ground with profanities spewing from their mouths. This sobered them up quick as they all tightened their grips and fought for control. I used this moment to release the scream I had been saving.

"All right princess" the tallest one growled in my ear as the others pinned me to the ground. "Your just gonna sit tight and do as we say, understand?"

"This is ASSAULT Sebastian! Now I suggest you fucking Let. Me. Go. before the two bodyguards assigned to protect me finds out and throws you all into unmarked graves." I spat.

"What do you think you're doing, Verlac!" A familiar voice barked from behind. The weight was lifted from my body as a deafening crack sounded above me. Jace stood poised over Sebastian's body delivering blow after blow. I'm no doctor, but I'm about 99.9% sure he is going to need surgery to correct the injuries Jace was inflicting. "Attacking women? Is that what you're into these days you piece of shit!" His voice raised in emphasis on the last word.

"Jace stop you're going to kill him!" I yelped when more blood was visible than Sebastian's face. Anger flooded his face as he snapped his head up to glare at me. His expression softened instantly and he threw Sebastian to the ground, striding over towards me. Sebastian staggered to his feet before taking off in the opposite direction along with his friends.

"Are you alright?" he said, still breathing hard while cradling my face in his hands. I could feel the scrape against my face begin to burn.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright. Thanks…again"

"I just seem to attract trouble." I joked lamely. He didn't seem to find much humor in the situation. "Hey," I said seriously, "They were drunk and I'm okay. It's fine, really."

After we had gotten up and Jace had found me some bandages for my scraped up hands and knees, night had already fallen. I could sense my time with Jace was coming to a close. I surprisingly hadn't seen Izzy all day which I was almost thankful for. I loved her to death but it was nice no having to deal with her craziness for a few hours.

"So, um… I should probably get going now." I said once the conversation had gone quiet. He turned to me with a slightly disgruntled expression.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. My dad doesn't really like me out late."

He shifted his weight as we came to a stop next to the school's brick building. "He's really protective."

My breath quickened. "You have no idea."

"Well, I had a lot of fun with you today Snowflake." He mused leaning closer to me.

"Snowflake?" I couldn't contain my amusement, eviscerating the moment we had come to find.

His serious expression broke into a smile. "Clary, come on, you're paler than snow-white and you've only been here a few weeks." He chuckled

"So you've got a point…I guess"

"And" he added, taking a step closer, "Your so delicate and fragile; the closer I get the more afraid I become of you disappearing." we were so close now that I could feel his breath against my face. For once, I had no words. No snarky comebacks, just silence, but not an awkward silence. It was nice, comfortable.

"Come on, let's get you home" he smiled, breaking the silence. I returned the gesture, letting him lead me toward the parking lot where Landon and Markus waited. We walked in silence: me deep in thought and he the same. He had his hand placed just above the small in my back, leading me through the crowd, with his other resting just above my hip. I guess I should have felt insecure, nervous, scared. Instead the feeling of safety and security settled within me. A first, in Clarissa Morgenstern's book.

**JPOV:**

That night I laid in bed, thinking of what had happened earlier that day. I had just ended a call with Izzy when I heard her scream. I don't know how, but somehow I knew it was her. I returned to find Bash and his thugs all over Clary. She kicked and struggled against them uselessly. Fury had boiled beneath my skin as my hands clenched at my side. I was gong to destroy them. Before I could reach her however I saw her nail one of them in the jaw with a kick and the other with her upper cut. Was it possible to be angered to the point of destruction and turned on at the same time?

My attention snapped over to Sebastian who had regained control and now stood poised above her. "What do you think you're doing, Verlac!" I barked, storming over to the park bench. Fury rolled off my back in waves as I delivered my first blow with fighters precision. Sebastian didn't even have enough time to look up before I knocked him back a few feet and away from Clary. The next two came at me from either side and I took them down easily. Walking back over to Bash I scraped him off the pavement and began to deliver blow after blow. For a moment I had gotten so caught up in my anger that I had forgotten about the reason I was even fighting them. Clary.

Her voice hit me like a hurricane as she screamed for me to stop. I threw Sebastian to the ground and stalked over to her side, tucking her fragile body under my arm and leading her away from the group.

I wished that I had hit Sebastian a little harder to show him Clary was untouchable. I had undoubtedly broken his nost and a few ribs. Part of me wished I had broke his leg, knocked him out of the league for the season. Drunk or not, attacking women is wrong.

"Hey Jace?" Izzy's timid voice came from the other side of my door.

Yeah?" I called as she slipped through the door and closed it behind her.

"I heard about Bash and the others.." she said quietly.

I stood up, walking over to the desk by my window with my back facing her so that she couldn't see my furious expression. "They got what they deserved" I clenched my bruised fists.

"So…she's pretty special then huh" Izzy pressed, flopping down onto my bed.

"I don't do girlfriends Izzy, you know this" I said, glancing over my shoulder at her.

"Until now. Clary is different." Izzy pressed, crawling across my bed to where I stood. "How much have you found out about her? Have you already cross referenced her files in mom and dad's control room? You didn't find anything, did you?" she paused

"Clay's a puzzle you can't figure out, she's gotten under your skin so deep and you can't figure out how to stay away."

The reality of Izzy's words hit hard. She was right. I had never cared about a girl like Clary before. I glanced down at our photo strip lying on my desk, staring at her smiling face. Yes. Clary was special.

I was about to turn around and demand she leave when her next sentence knocked the words right out of my mouth.

"Just be careful Jace…those scrapes on her face aren't the only ones she's hiding."

I whipped around quickly.

"Tell me everything you know. Now."

**CPOV:**

A stupid grin was plastered on my face for the rest of the journey and even after I got home. If Landon and Markus noticed, they didn't comment on it. When I finally got back to my room and showered and changed, I flopped down on my bed, completely exhausted by the festival.

Digging around in my jacket pocket, I pulled out the photo strip, touching the edges delicately. I flopped upside-down over my bed and slid out my art journal, flipping to a blank page and taping the strip to its white surface. On the opposite side a charcoal sketch of Jace stared back at me that I had drawn weeks ago. The stupid grin made a repeat appearance and refused to leave even after I drifted off to sleep that night.

Things weren't perfect. Far from it actually. But for just a little while, they weren't achingly painful. And that was good enough for me.

For now.

* * *

**What do you all think? Review! Review! Review! Suggestions and feedback are strongly encouraged!**

**XX -Gwen**


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